What to do with Sami Zayn...

[ramblinroy682]

I feel like Sami Zayn is stuck now that his feud with Owens is "over." I'm sure WWE will revisit this at some point. With a couple of minor tweaks to a few story lines, I think WWE could take advantage of Zayn's potential and further some very interesting future story lines.

First, at Clash of Champions, I would have had Owens interfere to help Jericho go over. This would have allowed for the Jericho/Zayn program to continue. Owens still wins at Clash. I would have had Cesaro go over Sheamus. You could have had the same clothesline over the rail, but I would have had Cesaro climb back in the ring right at 10, with Sheamus climbing in at the count of 11. This way you have a winner, but you still get the same effect of them being too close to separate.

The next night on Raw, Jericho comes out with Owens and they talk about friendship. How KO, Jericho's best friend had his back at Clash of Champions. Jeri-KO are better friends than Zayn and Owens ever were. Out comes Zayn, he challenges them to a tag-team match at Hell in the Cell. They at first say no, but Foley comes out and says it will happen. If this is the Kevin Owens show, then we need to see a lot of Kevin Owens. At Hell in the Cell, it's Jeri-KO vs. Zayn and a partner of his choosing. Kevin screams about having to wrestle twice. Foley then announces it's a rematch tonight of Zayn vs. Jericho and if Owens interferes, he'll book him in a 3rd match at Hell in the Cell.

During the main event, Zayn and Jericho have a good match. Zayn goes over. After the match, Owens comes out and attacks Zayn from behind. Jericho and Zayn continue the beatdown until Cesaro comes out to make the save. At Hell in the Cell it's Cesaro/Zayn vs. Jeri-KO.

At Hell in the Cell, during the tag match, Owens and Jericho take the advantage over Zayn. Really work him over. Jericho's in the ring. Zayn makes the escape and Cesaro comes in hot. Really working over Jericho. Jericho breaks free and goes for the tag, Owens drops off the apron and walks out on Jericho. Zayn and Cesaro win the match.

This would set up Jericho vs. Owens for a long feud for the title beginning the next night on Raw. Owens saying he couldn't risk the title by engaging in the fight against Cesaro.

You know have a new tag team in Cesaro/Zayn and I would have them begin a quest for the tag team titles. Eventually, taking the titles from New Day. Then I would have Sheamus and Rusev form a tag team. Give them a new attitude of dominating lesser opponents. (Visually, this combo would remind me a bit of the Road Warriors: Rusev has that Animal Vibe-thick powerhouse and Sheamus has a bit of the Hawk vibe - mohawk and a brawler). Eventually, Sheamus says he has unfinished business with Cesaro and he wants the titles. You could even revisit with another best of five series between the two tag teams.

I just see Zayn and Cesaro as a great combination that could get really, really over with the fans and have a legitimate "wrestling" tag team on Raw.

What do you think? How would you get Zayn over?

 

[Aquaman6686]

Sami Zayn is a good midcard guy. He doesn't need to be anything more than that. Why should Chris Jericho have needed help from Kevin Owens to beat Zayn? That's absurd. Jericho winning clean was the right call to make. Give Zayn a win over Jericho at Hell in a Cell, then end the feud by having them be on opposite sides of a Survivor Series match with Jericho eliminating Zayn. Zayn can then move on to feuding with some other midcard guys.

 

[radec]

Sami Zayn is a good midcard guy. He doesn't need to be anything more than that. Why should Chris Jericho have needed help from Kevin Owens to beat Zayn? That's absurd. Jericho winning clean was the right call to make. Give Zayn a win over Jericho at Hell in a Cell, then end the feud by having them be on opposite sides of a Survivor Series match with Jericho eliminating Zayn. Zayn can then move on to feuding with some other midcard guys.

You're an idiot, I hope you go away from the internet some day, and also, you're completely wrong. Why should Jericho, the already established guy, get a win over Sami Zayn? The guy who needs establishing. Zayn should pin Jericho in SS, in fact, why not have Zayn beat Jericho in those 3 matches? That makes him look good, and it's not like Jericho's stock is being destroyed, the guy is having one of his best runs ever right now.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm wondering if they're ultimately still just testing Zayn to gauge how they think he's going to do in the long run. I wouldn't be surprised to see Zayn get a mid-card push during WrestleMania season next year; it's just a matter of time before Roman Reigns winds up back in the Universal Championship picture and Zayn seems like someone who could potentially benefit from being United States Champion; it'd all depend on whether or not WWE means for him to be a relevant champion instead of him just carrying the title for a while.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This always makes me laugh... first off do you think that Zayn himself is pissed off with his position?

Of course not, he is one of the most over guys on the roster, making more money than he has ever made in the business and has overcome some pretty horrendous injury luck in the process. He is not someone like Bray Wyatt who offers a true "different" main eventer and you can argue is truly being misused.

We just saw how Dolph Ziggler could have been gone and in reality is one concussion away from being gone (he's on his second...one more he's Christian...retired) so Zayn is someone who can easily step into that role when the time comes.

Not everyone gets to be WWE or Universal Champ and it's dumb to think they ever could be. Right now Zayn is in the kind of position Bossman was during his face run... mega over, gets the fans going and has potential to step up should they ever want to go that route... but probably won't get the chance or even need it... most recently he's like Santino, not the dumb stuff but the one who nearly won the Rumble and World title and was so insanely over people wanted him to do it.

He has allies like Owens, Bryan, Ambrose, AJ, Balor and even guys like Neville on the roster who could all have great matches with him as heels if it ever went that way...

But ultimately as refreshing a character as he is to have on tap, as cool the Ska-Punk intro and his flat cap look is and however hard he works... to Vince he's the canadian red headed stepchild somewhat... If he ever does have a shot, it's post Vince... and like a few others might have to leave WWE first and then go back.

Or he could just enjoy his wrestling, be on the cards making money and always "somewhat featured" if not main event and make more than he ever could have as El Generico... with the injuries he's already had, he's smart to play that game and secure his future over pushing for a run that would at best be Rey Mysterio like with the title... nice that it happened, but probably shouldn't have... maybe he's the guy who has to be on the roster 10 years before he gets it... it would fit his gimmick perfectly...

Either way, it's not "misuse" it's using Sami Zayn exactly how he should and needs to be used... people would get bored in seconds if he was champ...

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Some direction would be a start. "Move him to Smackdown" is the basic stock response for anyone on Raw not being pushed the way we like them to.

The US title is caught up with top guys and and Sami is a bit too tall to pull of 205lbs (though that is his official listing - he could be in the crusierweight division lol). So what do you do with him?

He's been working throwaway tag team matches with Neville. I get that they're friends IRL, but aside from being indie guys, they don't look much like a pairing. If Sami stays on Raw, I'd like to see him wind up Cesaro's ultimate tag team partner.

Cesaro and Sheamus seem doomed to fail, have them break into two teams with Cesaro Pairing with Sami. Those two have more physically in common and could make for a pretty fun team.

Book Sami off of Raw. Eventually Rollins is going to need a partner to deal with JeriKO (unless those two implode sooner or later). Likely WWE will use Reigns, but why not Sami? It only makes sense for Zayn to get involved. Jericho and Kevin try to break up team Underdog Rebuild by offering Sami a Universal title shot, except Zayn has to wager his Raw contract.

Zayn agrees, Jericho puts him on the list, they cheat and Sami is fired from Raw. A week or two later, he signs with Smackdown and adds to a paper thin midcard there. Raw doesn't suffer as they can easily fill more time with cruiserweights or Steph berating everyone.

What people really want is direction. Zayn's booking on Raw last night suggests he wasn't even going to be on the show had The Club not attacked The Certified Gs. The title of this thread just suggests directionless. It doesn't have to be as dramatic as a title push or a brand switch, it could be as simple as a feud with Bo Dallas or (groan) Braun Strowman.

 

[LBGetBack]

You're an idiot, I hope you go away from the internet some day, and also, you're completely wrong. Why should Jericho, the already established guy, get a win over Sami Zayn? The guy who needs establishing. Zayn should pin Jericho in SS, in fact, why not have Zayn beat Jericho in those 3 matches? That makes him look good, and it's not like Jericho's stock is being destroyed, the guy is having one of his best runs ever right now.

One reason Jericho is having such a good run this time is he doesn't lose every damn match that matters. In previous runs, his matches had gotten very predictable. You knew he was losing and he put over everyone. This run he actually wins sometime.

I wouldn't be mad at Zayn winning out in the end, but no he should not beat Jericho everytime. That devalues Jericho.

 

[Aquaman6686]

You're an idiot, I hope you go away from the internet some day, and also, you're completely wrong. Why should Jericho, the already established guy, get a win over Sami Zayn? The guy who needs establishing. Zayn should pin Jericho in SS, in fact, why not have Zayn beat Jericho in those 3 matches? That makes him look good, and it's not like Jericho's stock is being destroyed, the guy is having one of his best runs ever right now.

Ah, another moron who doesn't understand how wrestling works.

The reason Jericho is having a great run right now is because he's not losing every single match he's in, like he did in his last four or five runs. A win over Chris Jericho in 2012 or 2014 didn't mean a damn thing, because he ALWAYS LOST. Now, he actually wins a good portion of his matches (although he should be winning more than he is), so his matches actually matter again. Jericho beating Sami Zayn doesn't hurt Zayn at all. Zayn losing to guys like Enzo or Big Cass, THAT would hurt him. But Jericho? Not at all. But Jericho losing to Sami Zayn would damage what they're doing with him , which is re-establishing Jericho as a marquee star. They're clearly building him back up as a top guy. Now I'm sure, knowing WWE, the end result will be Jericho jobbing to some young guy to give him a rub, but for right now, Jericho is fun to watch again and his matches are interesting, because he might actually win.

Chris Jericho is more important than Sami Zayn right now, and that's the way it SHOULD be.

 

[StaRRStruck]

Personally, I fee like Sami is in this loop of nothingness merely because all the talent around his level (upper midcard) his currently caught up in other storylines. Sheamus and Cesaro are trying to co-exist as a team while getting a title shot and hating each other and Jericho is busy playing the "best friend" to the Universal Champion, Kevin Owens. There's not a lot of surrounding talent for Sami to feud with and personally while I would of enjoyed a longer program with him and Y2J I'm glad it's not happening for the simple fact of Zayn somehow connecting himself back to KO. Also, Jericho is the best thing going for Raw and needs to continue to be involved in the main storyline with KO/Seth/Authority.

Imo best thing going for Zayn right now could be this tag team with Neville, there's tons of fresh competition for Zayn/Neville that could benefit both of them and keep them busy for a little while. With teams like The Club, Shining Stars and even Cesaro/Sheamus depending on how long that plays out. All in all the best scenario as of RIGHT NOW for Zayn would be keep himself on TV every week with something interesting and since their is no one to feud with I see tagging with Neville as his best option right now.

 

[radec]

Ah, another moron who doesn't understand how wrestling works.

The reason Jericho is having a great run right now is because he's not losing every single match he's in, like he did in his last four or five runs. A win over Chris Jericho in 2012 or 2014 didn't mean a damn thing, because he ALWAYS LOST. Now, he actually wins a good portion of his matches (although he should be winning more than he is), so his matches actually matter again. Jericho beating Sami Zayn doesn't hurt Zayn at all. Zayn losing to guys like Enzo or Big Cass, THAT would hurt him. But Jericho? Not at all. But Jericho losing to Sami Zayn would damage what they're doing with him , which is re-establishing Jericho as a marquee star. They're clearly building him back up as a top guy. Now I'm sure, knowing WWE, the end result will be Jericho jobbing to some young guy to give him a rub, but for right now, Jericho is fun to watch again and his matches are interesting, because he might actually win.

Chris Jericho is more important than Sami Zayn right now, and that's the way it SHOULD be.

Okay, idiot, seeing as how you don't get, you're right, a win over Jericho would matter, but Jericho is already protected, he's established, and now a win over him now would matter a lot more, so Zayn winning would help both sides. Jericho has had such a fantastic run this year, if he loses to Zayn already, he wouldn't be damaged, but if Zayn loses to him for no reason, without even a fallout, he looks weak. But you've always been an idiot, so you won't get it, because you got your head stuck in your ass. Also, how do you expect Zayn, or anyone in this era to be a top star if Jericho and/or more people of HIS generation keep getting wins over them? Like i said before, you're an idiot.

 

[LBGetBack]

Okay, idiot, seeing as how you don't get, you're right, a win over Jericho would matter, but Jericho is already protected, he's established, and now a win over him now would matter a lot more, so Zayn winning would help both sides. Jericho has had such a fantastic run this year, if he loses to Zayn already, he wouldn't be damaged, but if Zayn loses to him for no reason, without even a fallout, he looks weak. But you've always been an idiot, so you won't get it, because you got your head stuck in your ass. Also, how do you expect Zayn, or anyone in this era to be a top star if Jericho and/or more people of HIS generation keep getting wins over them? Like i said before, you're an idiot.

How does Zayn losing to Jericho make Zayn look weak?

And with Owens being champ, and Balor, Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose being former champs....this generation has been pushed way harder than the younger guys of previous generations. Zayn may get his turn if he keeps performing well.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I think they should turn him heel because he's the last guy anyone could imagine turning heel. His current schtick of skipping to the ring and just being happy to be there is not doing anything for him. He's just kind of there.

My idea? Have an angle where Zayn is outed as being an internet troll who used fake Twitter profiles to mess w/ other wrestlers and to put himself over.

 

[Cub McCallister]

Zayn is a great talent, I would of preferred him on Smackdown but he can do some good things on Raw, he's had a good feud with Owens and is the middle of a decent feud with Jericho, I don't really know where they can go from here possibly against Reigns for the US Title, its way to early to see him in the main event picture he needs to work his way through the ranks tbh rather than have a rocket strapped to his back going straight to the top.

I would like to see him go up against Dolph Ziggler at Survivor Series in an inter-promotional match which would possibly be a show stealer. Take him out of that tag team with Neville and spend 2016 building him up as a possible contender to win MITB.

 

[therockiswwf]

I posted this in another thread recently but it happens to fit this thread as well:

Who do you put Zayn in a feud with? Looking at the roster, here who is free (excluding cruiserweights, tag teams, etc.):
Big Show
Bo Dallas
Curtis Axel
Mark Henry
Jericho (sort of)
Darren Young
Jinder Mahal
Neville
Titus O'Neil
That is who is available for a feud. He already fought Jericho so cross him out. Show and Henry are on a limited schedule (presumably). That leaves a bunch of no ones for Sami to feud with. They don't have a midcard.

The best answer I have is, I don't know. There is no story he could be injected to right now that is fitting of his stature. He isn't big enough to be in the KO/Rollins story (though I argue neither is KO but that is for another time). He is above all the lower card guys. He can't feud with tag teams. Raw is in desperate need of a midcard and main eventers. KO and Balor got put in ME spots because they had no one else. Those two did/do not deserve being so high up on the card. This causes a vacuum to happen where guys get sucked out of the midcard leaving them with almost literally just Sami Zayn (I guess Rusev could be put in the midcard as well).

 

[Dave]

I think the WWE are playing the long game with Zayn. He definitely has a certain appeal but I don't think it has caught on the way that they WWE were expecting it to. So now they have to wait and see what shakes loose for Sami over the next couple of months. The whole thing isn't about Sami really, as has been pointed out. It's more about what is going to get him over and I don't think there's anything out there that would get him over. The new tag team with Neville might be the best option that the WWE has at this point. Neville is a guy that had recently returned from injury and has nothing to do. Zayn is still very over and both guys are going to get a little rub out of this. Let them run through jobbers every week to build them up again and see what happens over the next couple of months. Like I said, Sami has a long career ahead of him if he stays healthy and people seem to like gum. It doesn't have to happen right away. Give it some time.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I would have him feud with Neville. They had great matches in NXT, and neither is doing anything.

After that, I could see a feud with Rusev for the US Title, assuming Rusev is still champion.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

How does Zayn losing to Jericho make Zayn look weak?

Jericho puts over literally everyone. Even Fandango.

If a salsa dancer could defeat Jericho, why couldn't Zayn?

 

[therockiswwf]

Jericho puts over literally everyone. Even Fandango.

If a salsa dancer could defeat Jericho, why couldn't Zayn?

That loss doesn't really hurt Jericho. That was Fandango's debut. He scored a big win. Jericho could brush it off as beginners luck or not being able to plan for him. Sort of like how a rookie baseball player can hit .300 for a bit then hit .100 because everyone figured out his weakness. If Fandango beat him easily now a bunch of times in a row then there would be a problem.

A large majority of the audience doesn't care about that one loss from a few years ago.

Jericho does still win. Jericho is much like Kane. A guy who can slide around from the ME to midcard and still have credibility.

Beating Jericho still means something. Losing to Jericho means you lost to a former 6 time world champion and one of the greatest of all time (not top 5 but he is up there). Zayn losing a bunch of times to Jericho would hurt. Losing once to Jericho will only do minor short term damage at most.

 

[LBGetBack]

Jericho puts over literally everyone. Even Fandango.

If a salsa dancer could defeat Jericho, why couldn't Zayn?

That was 3 1/2 years and like 4 comebacks ago(didn't actually count, just throwing out a guess), or a lifetime in the wrestling world.

Jericho is a legend who just beat the current champion AJ Styles at Wrestlemania and has won the majority of his TV matches in this run. He's higher up on the totem pole than Zayn these days.....as he should be. Because he's better. That's why he beat him. Better wrestler, better character......and with his experience, he should be better than Sami. Sami will get there. People freak out over the weirdest things. Sami Zayn is not damaged by losing to Jericho. He'll be fine.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

Personally I would have Zayn Traded to Smackdown for somebody like Kalisto, who would be a lot better suited to the cruiserweight Division. On Smackdown Zayn would be able to develope his own identity, instead of remaining on Raw and continuing to be known as Kevin Owens former Friends. Also on Raw there would be a lot more options for Sami, as far as potential feuds go. Guys like the Miz, Ziggler and Corbin would all be great options for him to work with and a feud with the likes of Bray Wyatt could really help bring more of his personality out.

 

[American Male]

I'm not a fan of him.

He looks way too un athletic to be on WWE programming. His physique is absolute shit the kid needs to lift.

He's a corny ass babyface. The guy does not look like he can legit beat anyone's ass.
He's not believe in him as a WWE superstar.

I get that's why he get's so much love by the IWC cause he looks just like you. But to people who actually lift he is totally not believable.

However I am a fan of his El Generico character he needs to work more comedy into his routine and more mainstream fans will take a liking to him.