Today is Sami Zayn’s birthday, and everyone’s favorite ginger Canadian is turning 33 years old. That’s still mighty young in WWE years, and hopefully we have many, many more years of watching the exploits of the Underdog from the Underground. Since first coming into our lives in NXT, Zayn has been the only resolutely good guy in all of professional wrestling, and even the man himself admits that’s not always easy to do.
In honor of Sami Zayn, our favorite nebbishy, skanking dork, we would like to proudly present his five greatest moments of all time. (So far, of course. We anticipate there will be a plethora more that will follow.)
The Match That Changed The Landscape Of NXT
It’s hard to overstate how important the 2-out-of-3 falls match between Zayn and Cesaro really was. At the time, Cesaro was on loan from the main roster, a “special guest” that Zayn wanted to take on to prove his worth. The two had an instant classic, the match that is still the benchmark for all NXT matches to follow.
The match also greatly increased the buzz surrounding NXT, as word quickly spread about how this was a can’t-miss bout. Putting a main roster WWE talent against the next big thing in NXT was a good idea; having two of the best wrestlers in the world set out to have the match of the year (and succeeding) was an even better idea.
Sami Does The Right Thing
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hoqbp_adrian-neville-vs-sami-zayn-nxt-takeover-r-evolution_sport
One of the best wrestling storylines in recent memory was Sami’s chase for the NXT Championship. It was held by his friend Adrian Neville, who proved that although he wasn’t a bad guy, per se, he was willing to resort to tactics Zayn wouldn’t, in order to keep his title. When Zayn got his last chance at a title shot at NXT TakeOver: R-Evolution, he had a chance to blast Neville with the title belt and win it all … and he opted not to.
Brandon Stroud said it perfectly at the time:
He gets right to the brink of giving in. After a moment of hesitation, he says “f*ck that” and decides to do the right thing. Neville takes the shortcut. He rolls Sami up from behind and the ref counts one, two … and Sami kicks out. They pop up, and Neville runs into an Exploder in the corner. Zayn preps for the Helluva Kick and runs a hand over his face. He’s removing doubt. He blasts Neville in the face, covers and wins the NXT Championship. He wins it the right way. He walked into the match expecting to be the jerk he never wanted to be, and accidentally found out that the man he’s always been is the only man that matters.
It’s perfect. It’s the reason I complain about heel and face dynamics all the time … because when you do it right and you don’t cop out, it’s worth it. It’s worth it. Zayn’s a person a kid watching the show could look up to. Zayn’s a person an ADULT watching the show could look up to, and should choose to live vicariously through. He’s the good guy, because he’s the GOOD guy. In a WWE world where he could’ve sold out his heart and been celebrated just the same, he made the decision to rise above it and be something better. You had an entire crowd of normally rabid wrestling fans chanting “NO!” at a chance for their favorite to seal the deal and win the title. Why? Because you told them a story, and it was good enough that they paid attention.
And of course, because he IS Sami Zayn, he ends up getting destroyed by his best friend immediately after reaching the top of the company. Poor, poor Sami Zayn.
“FIGHT FOREVER”
Zayn got a chance to be half of not one, but two matches that represented a turning point for NXT. In his swan song with the yellow brand before being called up to the main roster full-time, Zayn and a debuting Shinsuke Nakamura had the match of WrestleMania weekend, and what many consider the match of 2016.
The crowd in Dallas didn’t want the match to end, and for good reason. Nakamura hasn’t come close to having a match this good in NXT or WWE since, but he showed on his first night what lofty heights he was capable of reaching, thanks to Zayn. Zayn made himself in the Cesaro match, and he made Nakamura (in the eyes of WWE fans) in this one. Sami Zayn can do anything, if he’s given the time and the freedom to do it.
Taking John Cena To The Limit
Zayn’s first match up on the main roster was a one-night-only deal, but it possibly could have been more, had Sami not injured his arm pumping up the Montreal crowd before even stepping into the ring. He still toughed it out and gave Cena one of his best matches in a very, very good 2015 for Cena from an in-ring standpoint.
People who were watching Raw went NUTS for this match on social media, and it was the first time millions of people had seen Zayn’s dive-through-the-corner tornado DDT onto the floor. That’s the sort of move that can instantly make anyone, but luckily Zayn also has charisma, personality, and everything else to go along with his technical brilliance.
Sadly, Zayn would be out of action for months as a result of the shoulder injury, but a star was born in the eyes of non-NXT WWE fans with this performance. Zayn’s momentum didn’t suffer when he was finally called up, and there’s no indication he would have been called up sooner if he hadn’t been injured. That’s another thing that’s so great about this moment: you don’t have to play what-ifs with an injury for once. Sami ended up just fine.
Destined To Do This Forever
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4mpz2w_sami-zayn-vs-kevin-owens-battleground-2016_sport
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will always be mortal enemies. Always. That’s just the way the universe was designed. No matter the company, or the names, or the storyline or situation, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will fight each other’s guts out and we’ll love every second of it.
Battleground 2016 was Zayn and Owens’ “last match ever,” and there needed to be a definitive winner. And of course it was Sami, because at least when it comes to Sami Zayn, good ultimately always triumphs over evil. Of course, Zayn and Owens were having singles matches again a short while later, but it was a glorious final chapter at the time, and probably Zayn’s greatest moment on the main roster.
(Greatest moment to date, of course. Sami still has yet to hold a championship in WWE, but oh man, there’s going to be a time when it comes, and we’re all going to be smiling.)
