WWE SmackDown 5 Biggest Stars: The Rise of Sami Zayn

Credit: WWE.com

1. Sami Zayn

Heel Sami Zayn is the best thing on WWE television right now not named The Shield. Zayn’s turn comes at the perfect time, and his work the past two weeks has been excellent. I like the fact he is yet to get new music or even change the way he enters the ring. He’s still the same Sami Zayn, just now he no longer cares what the fans think and is willing to take shortcuts to achieve success.

That much was evident when he low-blowed Randy Orton behind the referee’s back to help secure the victory. You heard that right. The same Sami Zayn that was the ultimate underdog in NXT used a low-blow to win. His rise to the championship on the WWE’s third brand wasn’t dissimilar to Daniel Bryan’s on the main roster, which they made note of on Tuesday night.

But now Zayn has a new edge, and it’s refreshing to see. A great heel turn is executed when you can understand the wrestler’s motives, but don’t agree with them. As the audience we can understand why Zayn felt the need to do something drastic. He could see his former buddy winning a bunch of championships while he continued to be overlooked. It doesn’t make his actions right, but we can see it from his perspective. And it’s been effective.

Next: 3 Superstars Who Would Benefit From Switching Brands

His promo to kickoff SmackDown was one of his finest to date. Heel Sami is just getting started.