WWE: Sami Zayn Should Win Money In The Bank 2018

Zayn Deserves The Chance To Prove He Can Be a Champion

If anybody would benefit from a shortcut to a title shot, it’s Sami Zayn. He had exactly one title run on NXT, which was cut all-too-short by an injury (and/or Kevin Owens, depending who you ask.) Since he’s been fully established on the main roster, his time has been dominated by rivalries and backstage politics where he’s found himself on the losing side over and over again.

He  as repeatedly come within inches of winning a big match, only to find himself derailed by Kevin Owens or another one of Vince’s monsters-of-the-week. It was frustrating  but it also made sense. A huge part of Zayn’s appeal was his underdog status, and the lack of titles and recognition was an important piece of his characterization. It had nothing to do with talent and far too much to do with positioning and opportunity- which, hey, looks like Zayn had some thoughts on that after he turned heel at Hell in a Cell:

Despite some hesitation from fans, Zayn has gone above and beyond anybody’s expectations for his heel run. Every week he’s turning in great matches, scorching his promos, and gleefully following Kevin Owens down the path of amoral anarchy in pursuit of success. While it’s hard to accept that the Underdog from the Underground is no more, there is one silver lining: losing big matches doesn’t necessarily have to be an aspect of his character anymore. And thank god for that, because it is incredibly frustrating to see Sami continue to miss out on the main roster.

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Zayn has done amazing work throughout his tenure with WWE. His bout with Cesaro at Arrival was one of the first things that got anybody paying attention to NXT. He can turn in a compelling match with any wrestler in the company, ranging from Shinsuke Nakamura to Bobby Lashley.

He held his own in a ten-minute match against Braun Strowman. I could keep listing awesome things Zayn has done at WWE for another three paragraphs, but I don’t have to. We all know he is that good, and as a champion, he could put in that kind of consistent work and prove he was worthy of the opportunity. Unlike other champions, who don’t even seem to feel like they need to defend their titles on a regular basis, we can count on Sami to be a fighting champion. It will make the title worth caring about, and it will give Sami the singles spotlight he deserves.

Also, a good title run can be a great way for a wrestler to re-establish a character, which is something Zayn is in desperate need of after his return to Raw. Right now we pretty much just see Sami in relation to Kevin, and as much as I enjoy the two together, I do think Zayn needs a chance to assert his own character as well.

Roman Reigns’s open challenge for the Intercontinental Title was one of the best runs the wrestler had on Raw all year, and it did a lot to showcase Reigns’s skills and build excitement and goodwill for a wrestler who needed it. Zayn would benefit greatly from a similar opportunity, as would fans of Raw.