Sami Zayn deserves to be recognized among 2022’s best wrestlers

The last month of 2022 is a few days away. There are a lot of moments across professional wrestling that will stand out when talking about this year. Sami Zayn’s performance on SmackDown will be one of those talking points. Many will focus on his angle with the Bloodline as some of his best work. In reality, Sami Zayn’s WWE performance should have him on the shortlist to win the 2022 best wrestler of the year award.

It’s hard to find any negative on Zayn’s resume throughout 2022. From WWE Intercontinental Champion to Honorary Uce, Zayn has worked magic in the last 11 months.  Along the way, fans continue to throw their support behind Zayn in droves. The reactions to everything he does, his hot tags, and other moments involving the Bloodline are some of the loudest on a nightly basis and that momentum doesn’t seem like it’s waning anytime soon. He was already recognized as an exceptional professional wrestler, but what Zayn has been able to do this year deserves a higher level of accolades.

Zayn’s success in 2022 comes despite what could have been horrible booking. He was slotted into an angle against Johnny Knoxville that started before the Royal Rumble. That led to them battling at WrestleMania 38 because Knoxville cost Zayn his Intercontinental title run. Zayn versus Knoxville over-delivered during that match at Mania. They put on a perfect display of comedic wrestling that kept fans smiling and cheering from start to finish.

But after that, inserting himself into an angle with the Bloodline seemed like something that would be an afterthought. That started back in April and now heading into December this is the best story that WWE has going on at this time. The main event match at Survivor Series War Games told the perfect story of Zayn gaining Jey Uso’s trust by going through one of his closest friends Kevin Owens. Fans know how this is going to play out, but that doesn’t stop them from staying engaged with the ride every step along the way.

Sami Zayn has perfectly melded the practices of professional wrestling and sports entertaining. If his angle with the Bloodline ends as many expect it, hearts will be broken. But before fans get to that, there’s a need to appreciate what he’s achieved this year. Zayn’s 2022 campaign deserves to be recognized as some of the best work seen across all professional wrestling this year.