WWE: There’s A Sami Zayn Story Waiting To Be Told

Ever since Sami Zayn helped Kevin Owens defeat Shane McMahon at WWE Hell In A Cell 2017, the two superstars have been attached at the hip.  In the coming weeks, though, that is expected to change, and it could be time for Zayn to step out from Owens’ shadow.

Since Sami Zayn turned heel last October, he has played the role of the talkative, annoying sidekick to Kevin Owens.  If the slow burn of dissension between the two friends is any indication going forward, then fans can expect a WWE WrestleMania 34 showdown between Owens and Zayn.

The previous encounters between both superstars have been with Zayn working as the babyface and Owens as the heel.  WrestleMania is not the show for retreads, and because of that, Owens will likely turn babyface while Zayn will continue to work as a heel.

Working as a heel against his longtime friend and rival will give Zayn the ability to play a more serious role as a bad guy.  Either way, the top championship on WWE SmackDown Live will be in the hands of a top babyface following WrestleMania, which then makes sense to elevate a heel on the blue brand to challenge either AJ Styles or Shinsuke Nakamura heading into the summer.

There are only two ways this Zayn heel run can end, and it is either as a rousing success or a colossal failure.  For Zayn to be a success as a bad guy, he needs to start winning, because there is no reason to hate a heel that never beats the fan favorites.

Yet again, failure as a heel might not be a failure in the long run for Zayn.  An example of this is Styles, who actually started getting more popular during his heel run.

Similar to Styles, Zayn also can deliver a fast-paced, exciting brand of wrestling.  If the WWE Universe supports a top heel, technically the ability to draw “heat” was a failure, but it is also a good sign in the long term.

What if Zayn does not win a major championship during this rendition of his character?  It actually makes Zayn a more sympathetic figure when he turns back to babyface.

A lot of comparisons have been made between Johnny Gargano and Daniel Bryan, and those comparisons are understandable.  But when evaluating why Bryan got “over” with the WWE Universe, there are many more similarities with Zayn.

Both Zayn and Bryan had long stints with Ring of Honor Wrestling which is one of the few independent promotions that gets national exposure.  Also, Zayn can relate to the numerous times that Bryan was overlooked early in his WWE career.

The WWE Universe takes stock in how difficult a superstar’s path has been to the main roster of WWE.  Between a long independent career, an extra long stint as one of the top performers on NXT, and a shoulder injury that delayed his move to the main roster, it is safe to say that Zayn has not had an easy go.

While Zayn does sound natural on the microphone, at some point he is going to have to cut a shoot promo that superstars tend to deliver at the start of a big push.  Zayn is a four to five star performer who has been overlooked for years. There is definitely a great story to tell.

Next: Five Wrestlers That Should Return To The WWE

It may not be in a week or a month, but when Zayn takes his moment on the microphone it will lead to bigger and better opportunities like the underdogs before him.