WWE: Where everything went wrong with Sami Zayn’s return

On the heels of an amazing start to Sami Zayn’s return, WWE have dropped the ball, leaving Zayn with nowhere to go.

Well. That was fun while it lasted. Ever since his return the night after WWE WrestleMania 35, fans were smitten with him. He couldn’t continue with promos or segments without the whole crowd singing his theme song endlessly. Life was good for Sami Zayn.

They followed this up with a heel turn for Zayn, which, to be honest, I was hoping would come later. Instead, it proved to be brilliant. He would rant and lecture the WWE Universe about how their treatment of him was toxic and that they were the worst part of coming to work.

It was brilliant. Zayn was eloquent and charismatic. It’s not easy to cut a five minute promo insulting the viewers while keeping them engaged. For nearly two months, Zayn picked his spots, found a new facet to call out the WWE fans on repeatedly, highlighting the “truth” about them. Eventually, someone was going to come out and shut him up.

Enter Braun Strowman.

The behemoth chased Zayn all over the arena, leading to Strowman unceremoniously dumping Zayn into a dumpster, which was picked up by garbage truck. Kind of a perfect metaphor for WWE pushes, am I right? I would say this is the exact moment his push died.

Then, a challenge was made and subsequently accepted. Zayn challenged the big man to a falls count anywhere match with Strowman’s spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match on the line. A crazy idea, but what was even crazier is that Sami got the pinfall (after interference from Corbin and McIntrye).

What was this? A push?? Well, Corbin came back out and threw Zayn into the hands of Strowman, who destroyed the man. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. It seems like the WWE writers are learning how to drive stick and Sami Zayn is the poor car.

I thought, probably like most of you, that Zayn would compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match and then Strowman would run in to hurt him. But then I was thinking, what if Strowman’s interference actually helped Zayn win somehow.

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Think about it: Zayn taunting Rollins or Kofi; holding the briefcase over the heads of the audience. Imagine lines like “You can boo all you want, you can chant against me all you want, but when the time comes, when I decide, I will be your new champion.”

But then MITB happened, Zayn was attacked and left hanging from the back. Now Lesnar is the briefcase holder. Ugh.

So what’s next for Zayn?

Well, there was a match against Strowman, which essentially was a squash match. There was also the match against Kofi, which was a little bit more competitive.

What happens to Zayn now? He was brought back with intrigue and has been forced into a midcard jobber.

The first step to saving Zayn is very simple. Let the man win. It’s kind of sad that I have to say this, but he needs a win. That way, he can preach to the crowds that he is winning in spite of their toxic behavior, and he won’t let their opinions get to him.

This should be built to competing for a title, ideally the US title (He’s on Raw, right?). Otherwise, I fear Zayn will just slide back into obscurity.

Save Sami Zayn.