Dear WWE, why do you hate Sami Zayn?
Sami Zayn has had a streak of humiliating losses since he returned on the Raw after Mania. Sadly, his performance in the gauntlet match to determine the number one contender for the WWE United States Championship was no different.
Just four months ago, Sami Zayn returned to raucous cheers on the Raw after WWE WrestleMania 35. He looked back to form, even though he unsuccessfully challenged for the Intercontinental Championship. It has been downhill for him ever since.
Sami spent the second half of 2018 recovering from double shoulder surgery and fans gleefully welcomed him back. Those cheers later turned to boos when Zayn cut a scathing promo, ensuring the audience he did not miss them. Frankly, it was great.
“The Underdog from the Underground” delivered some of the most compelling and believable promos of his career. In addition, he could turn a crowd in a matter of minutes. Zayn even managed to get a favorable audience in his hometown, Montreal, to reject him on the Apr. 15 episode of Raw. It was amazing to watch.
He is at the top of his game on the microphone and he clearly reveled in the reaction he received. Daniel Bryan was the only heel on the roster who was getting stronger responses at one point. All WWE needed to do was give him a program to sink his teeth into as a competitor and it was off to the races.
Instead, they basically ran Zayn into the ground and fed him to Braun Strowman. Astonishingly, they still had a chance when they inserted him into the Money in the Bank ladder match. Of course, we all know how that went.
There is no reason to reopen the debate on why giving the briefcase to Brock Lesnar instead of someone who isn’t already a contender was a bizarre decision. However, it still seems like such a waste to sacrifice all the heat Zayn generated to revisit Lesnar’s feud with Seth Rollins. Even more, WWE never gave him anything to work with afterward.
Since anytime Sami Zayn appears on the WWE programming he loses. If he’s a part of any kind of multi-man match, it’s a safe bet that he will be one who takes the pin. In the gauntlet match on this week’s episode of Raw, he got pinned in ten seconds!
It seems so counterproductive to beat up on a potentially great heel when both brands need more of them. The company is currently doing the same thing with Samoa Joe to a lesser extent. A lot of antagonists on the roster don’t feel like a legitimate threat anymore. It’s utterly baffling.
Admittedly, Zayn is great at taking a beating and continuing to come back fighting. That’s what made him such a good scrappy babyface, but if WWE is going to commit to him as a heel this isn’t going to work. All these losses are damaging any progress he makes.
Clearly, fans are invested in Sami Zayn and they’re just waiting for anything to get behind. But WWE just doesn’t seem to have any plans for him and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with taking him off television for a while, so they can create something for him.
Next. Preserving Samoa Joe’s reputation should be a priority for WWE. dark
There is a problem with turning him into a loser until they figure out something for him though. That doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t help the product and it certainly doesn’t help Zayn.
The way WWE is using him is just further proof that hoarding talent is doing more harm than good. Sami Zayn is not the only victim of an overcrowded roster, but right now he is one of the most glaring.