For those that don’t want to support Super ShowDown, treat yourself to 10 amazing matches highlighting the career of ‘The Underdog of the Underground’, Sami Zayn.
As you may know, Super ShowDown will be on the WWE Network on June 7th. What you may also know is that the PPV is the latest installment in the company’s partnership with Saudi Arabia to show their programs in the controversial country.
WWE’s work in the build to these shows has drawn a ton of heat, acting as a divisive issue for wrestling fans.
One example of that heat comes from the allegedd exclusion of Sami Zayn, who is Syrian Canadian. Due to the rocky political relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia, the country’s government reportedly told WWE he could not travel and perform at the show being labelled “as good or better than Wrestlemania.” [Cue the greatest eye roll].
As someone with proud Arab heritage (I’m Lebanese American), I’ve decided to boycott Super ShowDown. I love professional wrestling, but not to the point where I’m willing to overlook things like that. I also can’t tell you what to do.
Buuuuuuuuuuuut, if you want to join me, here are, in my humble Middle Eastern wrestling mark opinion, the top 10 matches Sami Zayn has competed in during his WWE career. I’ve graded them on a scale of 0.00-5.00 (yes, I use decimal points).
10. Sami Zayn vs Jack Swagger (NXT Episode 185 – September 4, 2013)
Most people forget that this match happened. Two weeks after the fan favorite 2 out of 3 falls match with Antonio Cesaro (he had a first name back then!), it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. I argue that this match is BETTER than every meeting with Cesaro up to this point.
The 2 out of 3 falls match was great, except the 2nd fall didn’t sit well with me and was cheaply earned. This match, however, is so much fun to watch and is pretty brilliant throughout.
A few things to set up: at this time, Cesaro had joined the Real Americans. Him, Zeb Culter, and Jack Swagger were in a stable, and Cutler had made an appearance or two in NXT. Also, this match follows three separate matches between Zayn and Cesaro.
Because of these two elements, Jack Swagger was able to scout and study up on Zayn, who was months removed from his NXT Debut.
Believe me, it showed. Swagger’s technical, mat style wrestling complimented Zayn’s fast paced, athletic style. ‘The Real American’ had some great counters to Zayn and made excellent use of his surroundings, with some great spots on the apron and a well placed Culter distraction.
The chemistry between these two was phenomenal, and it reminded me how good of a wrestler Swagger was. We also get some great examples of Zayn’s storytelling in the ring. He is a walking masterclass on selling moves. He commits to walking with a limp after the first ankle lock. His stamina is put to the test in this match, and he struggles to get up. It’s captivating.
The finish involves Bo Dallas distracting Zayn, which works to protect both wrestlers.
Grade: 4.3
9. Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville (NXT Episode 249 – November 13, 2014)
Sami Zayn had missed out on an opportunity to become the number 1 contender for the NXT Championship. His win to loss ratio was suffering when it came to matches with huge implications, leading someone to say he couldn’t win the big one. This caused Zayn to journey on what he called his “Road to Redemption.”
Week after week, he had built up a winning streak to eventually come face-to-face with the NXT champion, Adrian Neville (yes, a lot of people still had first names). The two have been friends, dating to before they both joined NXT, and now faced off as competitors with high stakes.
The two put on a great match. Zayn was focused, and the story showed this as he started off strong against the champion, showing off his technical prowess with a beautiful exchange chain wrestling.
The two wrestlers showed through the match that they had scouted each other greatly, with an exchange of mind games, as Neville was not used to being outpaced and not having the fans in his corner. The champion recovered, and the two go on to trade sequence after sequence.
The ending was one of controversy, when Neville appears to have injured his knee after missing his finisher, The Red Arrow. He is clearly in pain, and the referee made a the X signal with his arms, something used to indicate a real life injury.
Sami goes to check on his friend, but he is rolled up by Neville for the 3 count. Zayn is stunned, and Neville continues to play up the knee injury, having retained his title.
Grade: 4.5
8. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (WWE Payback – May 1, 2016)
What was considered to be the ending of a two year long feud (that didn’t come until a few months later, we’ll get to that), Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens put on a clinic that was driven by a story dating back to 2014, when Owens betrayed his best friend of 14 years.
Zayn started off in a fury and dominated early and often, frustrating Owens. The two exchanged everything you can think of. They really dug into their arsenal of moves, and Owens really displayed how amazing of a heel he really is. We even got to see two Blue Thunder Bombs! Get excited y’all!
A thing that I really appreciated was the two made an effort to protect each other’s finishers. Every time Owens went for a powerbomb, Zayn did everything in his power to counter it. This added to how impactful the ending was, when we had to swallow a bitter pill and watch Owens hit the Pop-Up Powerbomb for the 1-2-3.
Grade: 4.75
7. Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT Takeover Dallas – April 1, 2016)
After some time since his call up to WWE’s main roster, Zayn made his long awaited homecoming visit to NXT. William Regal, the General Manager of the Black and Gold brand, wanted to thank Sami for all he has done for NXT, which he does by giving him a match against the brand’s newest signing, Shinsuke Nakamura.
In what is considered a passing of the torch match, the two competitors went all out and fiercely competed.
What I truly enjoy about this match is that instead of the traditional Babyface versus Heel storyline, it showcased two great wrestlers, with mutual respect and a desire to be the best.
Nakamura’s cool, charismatic, and cocky style jelled well with Zayn’s passionate and driven attitude in the ring. As the match went on, one upmanship became the need for each competitor, forcing Zayn to keep up with ‘The King of Strong Style’.
Speaking of Strong Style, some of the strikes Nakamura gives are vicious. His pinpoint strikes shouldn’t overshadow the great amount chain wrestling, beautiful sequences the delivered exciting spots. This gives us a fantastic end to the match, where Sami’s exploder suplex is countered by a rapid grouping of elbows, setting up the Kinshasa.
Grade: 4.8
6. Sami Zayn vs AJ Styles (Raw Episode 1194 – April 11, 2016)
Man, when you get a match like this on Raw, you should appreciate it as much as possible.
Zayn was involved with his main roster feud with Owens, and AJ Styles was feuding with the Wildcard ‘Big Dog’, Roman Reigns. Styles had a championship match for Reign’s World Heavyweight title at Payback, and Zayn was offered a chance to get in on the action.
The stakes were simple: If Zayn beats Styles, the Styles-Reigns match becomes a Triple Threat for the title. What followed was a phenomenal match-up (Yes, I used the pun, and it was worth it).
The match starts with a test of strength, and really plays out a wrestling narrative that is comparable to a chess match. Both competitors utilize their skill sets and ring IQ to control the pace of their opponent. This slows the pace down and really highlights the talent of these two incredible professionals.
Because of its strategic nature, any strikes or moves hit were extremely effective. The match also featured an amazing Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn, followed by Styles kicking out at 2.99999 (it really is insane how close it was to a 3 count).
Though Styles gets the victory, the finishing sequence is a beautiful exchange and was a friendly reminder of why Sami Zayn is so good at what he does.
Grade: 4.8
5. Sami Zayn vs Tyson Kidd (NXT Episode 231 – July 17, 2014)
Tyson Kidd is really good, guys. The match-up showed off the talents of two talented NXT wrestlers, and the ring narrative is executed excellently. Zayn previously had issues with Kidd, who was undergoing a heel turn in an attempt to prove that he is more than the husband of Natalya (she was featured on the WWE reality TV show, Total Divas).
Off the bat, Kidd plays the role of heel beautifully, constantly creating space between him and Zayn while picking his moments to strike.
Throughout the match, Kidd is methodical, allowing his versatile moveset to take center stage. This plays so well as a foil to Zayn’s passionate and high energy style, making the babyface earn for every move and strike he can land.
The NXT crowd also gets involved during the match’s duration by chanting against Kidd, which he plays off well in his character work.
As the match continues, the two pull off some great sequences with counters upon counters. Sami Zayn finally is able to get the victory by submission, which is a fresh and welcomed change up to his normal winning finishes.
Grade: 4.8
4. Sami Zayn vs Antonio Cesaro (NXT Arrival – February 27, 2014)
This is the best of all their matches, and it rightfully is their last one in NXT. The two clearly have amazing chemistry, and it was a match the NXT audience clamored for.
Cesaro, believing he had nothing left to prove, took this match on the condition that they will not fight again. Zayn, with everything to prove, claimed he couldn’t shake losing to Cesaro and needed another chance to prove he could hang with the best.
The match is riddled with amazing technical displays of in ring quality. They really delivered on topping the quality of their previous meetings, and it’s one of the few instances where a fourth meeting was well-deserved.
The intensity of the match can be felt, and you can see the pride Zayn and Cesaro took in this match, pouring everything they have into this bout. My favorite spot of the match is when Zayn goes for his through-the-ropes outside Tornado DDT, only to be greeted with a vicious European Uppercut.
Grade: 4.85
3. Sami Zayn vs Tyson Kidd vs Tyler Breeze vs Adrian Neville (NXT Takeover Fatal 4 Way – September 11, 2014)
As the Takeover title indicates, this match is a Fatal 4-Way match and the only non-singles match on my list.
There is a reason for this, and to describe every single one of them to you is a fool’s errand in this article. So what I’ll give you the details you need to know for my first perfect graded match, and you really should watch this one to fill in the rest.
The four competitors are the hottest superstars in NXT at the time:
Neville is the defending Champion, utilizing his unique mixture of aerial based combat and well-placed strikes. He also plays defense on a few near-victories that are so much fun to watch, the best being a Sharpshooter.
Kidd is the main heel in this main event, dominating a huge portion of the match and dictating its pacing. At one point, he constantly makes sure that Neville cannot enter the ring, trying to neutralize him.
Zayn is the default babyface in the match, taking a lot of offense and elevating the pacing of the match when needed and executing amazing spots.
Breeze is the opportunist. He takes his time in the match, barely playing a part in a large chunk. He willing goes into a temporary alliance with Kidd to prey on Zayn and gets some well-placed shots in throughout the match. His sequence of the Beauty Shot, the Supermodel Kick, and Dropkick was gorgeous to watch.
The finish of keeping Neville was the right call, and forced Zayn to re-evalute his career and start his “Road to Redemption.”
Grade: 5
2. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (WWE Battleground – July 24, 2016)
The definitive end to their feud. This match is a classic, a narrative masterpiece in WWE’s history, and an undeniable show stealer.
This match has everything: tons of emotion and passion; beautifully well-executed wrestling sequences that show in ring chemistry; and a proper culmination to a story two years in the making.
These two were consistently in each other’s paths in the past year along, and when the opening bell rang, the wrestlers put their hearts and souls into this final match.
Their character work was on display, with Owens being despicable and mocking the crowd and Zayn never giving up in his pursuit for revenge. They scouted each other’s moves to the point where you couldn’t take your eyes off the match, in case a wrestler found an opening.
This match also boasts one of the best finishes that accurately reflects the end to a rivalry.
In its final moments, Zayn hits a Helluva Kick on Owens, holds his former best friend’s head in his hands, takes a moment to look at him and see what he has become, then follows this up with a second Helluva Kick for the win.
This match has always been a favorite of mine, and, re-watching it, I still got excited to see the man get a win. Only one other Zayn match topped this.
Grade: 5
1. Sami Zayn vs Adrian Neville (NXT Takeover R-Evolution – December 11, 2014)
It honestly doesn’t get better than this.
Since his NXT debut on May 22, 2013, Sami Zayn fought in every match with tenacious, passion, focus, and heart. He laid his body on the line and made his impact on the Black and Gold brand. He is the first Mr. NXT in my eyes, and this match was the culmination of all his hard work.
After Neville beat him with the fake injury roll-up, Zayn was crushed. If he couldn’t win the title he’s been chasing for over a year, why should he even wrestle anymore? In a move of desperation, he bet his NXT career that he would win the title in a rematch with the champion.
So there it is, all on the line: if Zayn wins, he becomes NXT Champion; if he loses, he leaves NXT for good.
These two put on a Helluva match. The storytelling is unrivaled. Both superstars exhaust their movesets, and they do everything they possibly can to win. But Zayn’s personal journey really is the driving force of this match.
The man is determined, focused, desperate. He is doing everything he can, giving it everything he’s got. Then, the referee gets knocked out.
Neville brings in his belt to attack Zayn, who dodges this and gets the upperhand. Neville, on the floor, is slow to get up. Zayn is all the sudden distracted by the belt. Like Frodo looking at the One Ring, Zayn holds it in his hand.
He looks at Neville, and is tempted to strike the champion with his own belt. The crowd is yelling “No,” praying their babyface will not succumb to temptation and earn this championship he deserves the right way.
After a moment, Zayn collects himself, throws the belt aside, and is able to eventually hit his finisher and pin the champion
1. 2. 3. Zayn has finally done it. The whole locker room comes out to cheer him on. It is a beautiful moment that he shares with the NXT audience, until Kevin Owens turns on him, becoming a heel and starting a two year feud.