Sami Zayn needs more wins if he's going to fill the gap in Raw's main event picture

Sami Zayn is a fan favorite across professional wrestling. Viewers around the world flock to him and recognize him as one of the best in the industry. Zayn is showered with praise for his great character work and in-ring abilities. But he’s also a role model for the industry as an individual, shining as a role model in a space that has so many bad actors. That is why it’s interesting to see him slotted as a potential main-event performer when WWE Monday Night Raw needs him the most.

Injuries to both CM Punk and Seth Rollins have created a void at the top of the Raw roster. The two biggest names are out. One is questionable for WrestleMania 40 and the other is completely off the card. The situation is further complicated thanks to Drew McIntyre’s contract status. He’s one of several individuals potentially heading into free agency this year and there’s no telling if he’s re-signed with WWE or not. Raw is seriously in need of main event performers. Zayn has all the capabilities to fill that role and it looks like WWE is positioning him in that space.

In the last few weeks, Zayn has been a main-event player on both Raw and SmackDown. But he hasn’t been victorious. You’d have to go back to September 1 to find a main roster show (non-PLE) for a match that Zayn has won. And that match was a tag team match with Kevin Owens, so his drought with a win as a singles performer on either show goes back even further. His last singles victory was over JD McDonagh at the WWE Crown Jewel Kickoff on November 4. McDonagh is also the man Zayn defeated in his last singles victory on a weekly show, which occurred on August 14.

With Zayn losing so much it’s hard to see where WWE is planning to go with him as a featured performer. This is typical of the company, as they frequently use the story of someone overcoming challenges as the drive behind their rise. Rather than build them up with consistent wins, babyfaces are usually booked as the struggling underdog in an attempt to build sympathy for them. Zayn plays a sympathetic babyface well, but it would be amazing to see him as the dominant face thanks to his 21 years of experience.

Raw’s main event scene is depleted. This is a result of an underlying issue with the company struggling to build top fresh faces for years. Sami Zayn is one they can count on, thanks to his legions of fans and mastering of all things pro wrestling or sports entertainment. However, it would be great to see him built up as another type of babyface rather than the one that takes loss after loss each week.