Sami Zayn

[6.0] "The rumors about the pay cut are just that. It seems unlikely but the fact that it didn't seem like a stretch at all is where the problem lies. Great until about 2016 and then very spotty quality both character wise and in the ring. 2022 was good for stories and 2023 was good for in ring but since then it's been the same old shit with this guy. Like every WWE worker he hits the same moves and spots and at the same points in the match and doesn't win. Unless it's a few weeks before WM and they need him to inexplicably end the title run of a younger, more deserving person. He's complacent and overrated and has under the radar arrogance."

[8.0] "Fantastic in the ring, great character work and promos as a heel but he's awful as a babyface. His current "Last Real Good Guy" gimmick is his best work on the main roster so far."

[8.0] "I enjoy Sami Zayn a lot he is kind of my comfort wrestler way I kind of know he going to have a good to great match whenever he is in television. I recently been enjoying his heel work now do I think he great heel? Depends on the character but I think he is more funny as a heel over face but i think him as a serious face is great also."

[8.0] "Sami Zayn is such a captivating pro wrestler, but he's not without his flaws. He's a 24 year old veteran in the wrestling business, and that definitely reflects in his in-ring work. He has a perfect grasp on psychology and selling, but can also dish out phenomenal looking offense when he feels like it. Him and Kevin Owens have put on some of the best wrestling television of the past few years, but I do struggle to think of another Sami Zayn rivalry aside from that. However, I do really like the story that he's currently involved in. I feel like it's setting up for an eventual heel turn which I think will be very good. 8.5/10, leaning towards 8."

"The aesthetes only goldmine in WWE. His turn to a usage of an array of stock spots in mid 2025, some very creative and telescoped, others forcing his opponents into out of character moments, somewhat flattens this, but Sami Zayn is a very beautiful and visceral seller, a fundemental difference in orientation from the cerebral oriented Bryan Danielson, and what are his stock sells that have shown up again and again, proves that he is consciously aware of this. And in actuality, long hair that is tied up in the beginning and in disarray by the finish (classic 101 worker shit ala Punk keeping his shirt on to take it off midmatch for a guaranteed pop) and his beard fully completes this side of Sami, and should still be kept; an unchecked box he should have is a bladejob with this look. And at his peaks, his unique sells are legitimately enchanting (His sell of the Krossjacket(! ) In Saudi, Seth stomping him in the corner in the MITB triple threat, his sitting turn and grasp for the ropes from Gunther's sleeper in WHC RAW match). The Gunther sleeper sell in particular opened my mind to what it means to be enchanted. Wrestlings capture of ideal beauty, free of any common crowd notion, regardless of his opponent, beyond typical blood imagery, flows through his veins, and comes out at will or through happenstance. So Sami is best idealized in a silent gif capture, rather than a highlight reel of a match that only focuses on primitive impacts (loud chops etc.) and do away with the in-between, for these sells of his are alignments of the primordial that eclipse the match and the crowd. Such deeper alignments are the true prime of wrestling'a accessibility, but are completely erased in kitschy gimmicks, which such kitsch is what is praised in Sami's loser promos, while the gateways to deeper resonances in art he offered constantly, rather than a homogenous MCU "sense" that is normally praised, are destroyed by the crowd's turn."

[8.0] "Great on the mic if handed good material. Can work any character. Has been a part of classics. I thought he would've been the next John Cena back in 2015."

[10.0] "He's the reason why I fell so deeply in love with wrestling as a kid, he makes it all feel so real. A versatile performer and elite in-ring worker. Hands down one of the best to ever do it."

[2.0] "He's just an annoying character lately. Constantly going to Nick Aldis asking for a title shot after he just lost a title shot. Claiming it isn't fair that he only got a 9 day run as champ when it's clear that they just didn't want him to be the champion, but they wanted to save Punk/Cody for Summerslam. He also just seems to have a very low effort gimmick as of late. He just wears plain grey and white T-shirts to shows and matches, doesn't do anything special or anything. I just don't know what is supposed to make me excited about him as a character? I'm a newer fan, so I've heard some of his older stuff is better, but right now I hate when he's in a match."

[10.0] "I really want a generational babyface run for Sami. How can you not like him? His booking was awful 2023 to 2026. I can see why meddling as an underdog in the mid-card when you are a proven main event talent can cause fatigue. The only reason I can think of is WWE's awful politicking problem with the top stars. Sami makes you feel as a human, beyond wrestling and thats one of the parts that makes him special. PLEASE watch the generico-steen feud if you arent sold."

[10.0] "One of the best underdogs since Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30. I have always liked Sami and I am still mad at WWE for giving him a "Here Damn" title reign. I like punk but to have a 50 year old guy who has been out for half a year to come and take it from him after 1 week is fucking terrible."

[2.0] "You guys have rated this dude a 9? Seriously? Sami Zayn is the most boring generic wrestler outside of Humberto Carillo. He has no charisma, no gimmick, cringe acting, does the same predictable moves in every match, is usually carried by his opponents, has the most pansy poof ring name I have ever heard and his physique is mid at best. This man as a world champion is laughable. He will never be Daniel Bryan as much as they try. Having this sad excuse for a wrestler end Gunther's legendary IC run was so depressing."

[10.0] "Sami Zayn is a 10, but he is not the same ten as a Michaels or an Iyo Sky. I put him which such a note because of everything he has done. His wrestling is good to very good, his characters throughout the years have only gotten better, his status of the underdog is overused but works, his promos are very good. Overall, probably one of the most consistently good wrestler."

[10.0] "Great underdog babyface although I feel like we should be past it at this point. One the best ever as far as in ring is concerned. Reminds me of Shawn Michaels with his abilty to sell and convey emotion in a match. Honestly surprised that he has had as much personality as he's displayed over the years and really have enjoyed watching him evolve and step out into a prominent role in a company I never thought I'd see him in. Still has a few great years left hopefully he wins a world title at least once. Update: He finally won a world title and I'm very happy for him. Very deserving individual."

[8.0] "Hes a great in ring performer who has some of the. best moments in wrestling history. However, I dont feel that he is the greatest character and I feel that character work is the most important aspect of wrestling"

[10.0] "After Night of Champions I have to rate Sami Zayn a 10. He has incredible storytelling ability and his character work is on an all time level. He also is one of the best in ring workers in WWE not just today, but of the last 20 years. His work in PWG and ROH as El Generico was also exceptional. He is probably the most complete all around wrestler WWE has right now, and he has truly earned his WWE Championship win."

[8.0] "He's grown on me so much. He's not as annoying, and him winning the title was an amazing moment. 8/10"

[7.0] "He's good but he's just so bland to me and he tries to give off "underdog" but it seems forced and doesn't come naturally like a Daniel Bryan or Rey Mysterio. I think he's in need of a Heel Turn because this isn't 2022/2023 anymore and the face run just isn't cutting it"

[7.0] "He's good. I don't quite see where he's great. He's had a good history and has done well for himself in WWE, but his highlight has easily been his connection to the bloodline storyline. He's been somewhat forced since then and feels pushed a little above his worth."

[9.0] "I did not see much NXT or the indie circuit to know him, b The first thing I saw was his matches on the main roster and I was genuinely entertained at how talented he was, he had matches with Cesaro, Seth Rollins, John Cena, New Day, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and whatnot, he could work with every style, the only thing he lacked was a personality, but he turned heel in 2017 and for the next 6 years I saw Sami Zayn that had a soul, even if he was a coward. Main evented a WrestleMania, and after that, here we are, Sami Zayn is one of the most talented and skilled wrestlers of all time."

[5.0] "I guess I am on my own here but I still don't see it. At one point I had him a 10 not gonna lie but because he was very consistent in the ring but he was never a good speaker and I don't see those improvements everyone speaking about. I don't find him funny neither unlike everyone else says. He is only good when working with Kevin Steen/Owens wether as a tag partner or as a rival. He has zero charisma"

[10.0] "I had to think long and hard about this, but yeah, Sami Zayn is one of my modern day favourites who hits my rare 10/10 mark. He can practically do anything and make it work. His in-ring finesse, his storytelling abilities, and being able to fit into any program of all different tones and make a vast majority of the people he works with into even better stars."

[10.0] "Sami Zayn blends world-class in-ring ability with unmatched character versatility. Whether playing an underdog hero or a conniving heel, he brings depth and authenticity to every role. His storytelling is top-tier and his matches consistently deliver both drama and excitement, making him one of WWE's most well-rounded performers. Deserves to be World Champ"

"I like to say I'm a fan of Sami, but to be so honest, get that guy off my fucking tv lately. ROH, Early NXT, Indies? FUCK yea. 2023-EXACTLY WHEN HE STOLE CHAD GABLES MOMENT? perfect, but that what sami is. the merchant of moments. he's taken 2 perfectly fine men's chances at mania opportunities (gable and melo)."

[6.0] "Very good in terms of in ring work . He really is hit a miss on the microphone at times he is very cringe and goofy I believe this is why his been a career mid card worker. He was red hot over a few years ago but that's thanks to the bloodline storyline Even when he was over the company didn't want to give him the world title probably because there worried it would flop because he ain't good enough."

[7.0] "Great in-ring work, popular with the fans, but to me he's bad on the mic. He's a theme song. But fitting for the WWE underdog prototype, with his predecessor being of course, Daniel Bryan. But Bryan was more convincing as a main-event act than Sami Zayn is. Zayn feels more like a mid-card act, at least to me. You can't tell me he's on par with someone like even Drew McIntyre. I'm pretty sure he will definitely be a world champ before hanging the boots nonetheless - I mean he's already main-evented WM. There's not much left to achieve besides the Big Gold. But I don't really find him entertaining, he's very white meat. Boring even, but giving him a 6 is being biased so there's that."

[9.0] "One of NXT's best alumni and one of the best performers in WWE History. Sami Zayn is the total package capable of cutting amazing promos and giving the WWE Universe amazing matches but he has been severely underutilized in the WWE. He reminds me so much of Bryan because his character work is so good. He can pull off any character whether it is a heel or face. But personally I think that WWE needs an underdog hero that the fans can believe in and I believe Sami could be that guy."

[9.0] "My rating is mainly based on his work on the indies, but Sami is one of my favourite wrestlers. He's pretty much the only reason why I pay any attention to WWE anymore."

[10.0] "Sami Zayn's continued success mystifies me. Moreso then Bryan Danielson and (the vastly overrated) CM Punk, Zayn truly epitomizes the idea that someone who isn't traditionally possessing "star" qualities can be one in the biggest wrestling company in the world without compromising their values. He's an incredible in-ring storyteller with great natural charisma that keeps me glued to the screen whenever he's on. His conditioning is amazing and he's able to go in long matches at a high pace despite being over forty- and as a quick aside to address a recurring sentiment I've seen floating around, if you actually, unironically think Zayn has a "bad" physique because he's not either 275 pounds of pure muscle or something like that then you are a moron as the overwhelming majority of people (particularly in the US where obesity is still an epidemic) do not even look remotely as good as Zayn and probably don't even have one tenth of his cardiovascular conditioning. We need educate ourselves more and move beyond this outdated notion that the only people that can be good or convincing wrestlers are hypermuscular bricks with no charisma that pass the "airport test" simply because they can pick up and put down heavy things (and to be clear, I grew up with a father that was a semi-professional strongman and did a bunch of this stuff myself in my life so I respect those who put in the work on their bodies. I just don't conflate this with the notion that you "need" to be a certain way to be a good professional wrestler.) Also, wrestling is fake lol. Zayn continues to put on great matches with pretty much everyone even this far into his career, and his Mania main event tag with perpetual friend and rival Kevin Owens might just be my personal favorite main event that dethroned Rock vs Austin from X-Seven after all this time. On top of all this he's an actual humanitarian who notably works with Syrian refugees, taking money from a company with ties to some really shitty people and diverting it into doing actual good for the world. More punk than a certain monumental hypocrite with that namesake, that's for sure. One of the easiest 10s I'll ever give out. Really wish El Generico was still around to have banger matches with him, though. I wonder what happened to that guy..."

[10.0] "Quite frankly the single best seller I've ever seen. The way he sells is consistently and regularly fantastic. Limpest kickouts I've ever seen and they feel earned. He looks like he's dying and you believe that he is."

[1.0] "Sami Zayn is one of the most overhyped and overrated "stars" of the modern era. He's the annoying "underdog" that's supposed to be lovable, and he's absolutely none of that. And on top of THAT... he's been the annoying "underdog" that's supposed to be lovable for over a decade now! How can you be the underdog when you've won multiple titles, defeated the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion EVER at WRESTLE FREAKING MANIA, closed night one of Mania (still not a main event by the way) and challenged for a World Title or had the opportunity MULTIPLE times. In addition to the piss-poor "gimmick" work, Sami does not look the part AT ALL, looking like a homeless guy that stumbled into a wrestling spot. He's annoying, his promos are all the same, the gimmick sucks and has sucked for over ten years, and he's not good in the ring. Only thing saving him from a zero is having a few funny moments during his time in the Bloodline."

[10.0] "One of the best to ever do it and one of those people that can get a good match out of anyone. He's SO good as a lovable babyface but has proved that he's top-tier as a cowardly heel as well."

"When i first saw Sami Zayn, he was a chicken running away from Drew McIntyre, I was in the crowd that night and he just seemed so wimpy, next thing you know he is a bloodline member, intercontinental champion, united states champion, and everyone loves him, first impressions stick and this guy made a bad first impression on m, i sont really know what else to say. I dont think he is very safe and I dont think his wrestling skill is all that good. Maybe he will grow on me but he just doesnt eve look like a wrestler, . His music is really really catchy though, I enjoy the bop cause its upbeat and fun"

[9.0] "One of my favourite men's wrestlers of all time, and probably one of the best natural babyfaces ever. Either as Generico or Zayn, he's got an amazing moveset backed up by some of the most solid high flying and technical wrestling around. What pushes him to the next level is his insane Babyface charisma. You just wanna root for the guy whenever he's around, especially when he gets put up against the wall. The only thing he needs to have a truly perfect career is to finally win the big one in a fed ring, and I can see him going into his fifties if he wants to. 9/10."

[10.0] "The Underdog from the Underground. I Love El Generico & Sami Zayn is an great guy for honoring his good buddy and making sure his legacy lives forever. He's a great worker who is amazing in ring, can cut passionate promos and he's just an really likeable guy."

[9.0] "Sami Zayn will likely go down as one of the most underrated wrestlers of the 2010's and especially in the 2020's. His work has always been fantastic and consistent and it will be a shame when he more than likely retires without winning a world championship in either AEW or WWE. Most justly call his work in ROH and PWG to be the best of his career, with some absolutely great matches hidden in his catalogue. My favorite match of his is the four way between El Generico vs. Jigsaw vs. Kota Ibushi vs. Nick Jackson in Chikara. He is a future WWE hall of famer and one of the best babyfaces of this generation for my money."

[10.0] "One of the best wrestlers in the WWE right now. He's great in the ring and also super likeable as a baby-face."

[9.0] "Sami is one of those wrestlers you never get tired of watching. Whether he's cutting a promo or putting on a match, he brings an unmatched level of passion, skill, and storytelling to everything he does. He's incredibly talented and consistently delivers no matter the role he's given. Hopefully he gets the chance to win a world title while he's still in his prime."

[10.0] "Look, if you don't like Sami Zayn you don't like good wrestling. Simple as that. If you do like Sami Zayn and have only seen him wrestle in WWE, I HIGHLY recommend watching pretty much anything he did as El Generico. You'll see a whole other side of him that WWE wants to pretend doesn't exist (say for a top rope brain buster at mania). I can not say enough good things about this magnificently generic luchador turned extraordinary superstar."

[10.0] "One of the best wrestlers in the world today & an all around talent that can do it all. Been a huge fan since I saw YouTube clips of him wrestling in PWG"

[10.0] "probably my favorite active wrestler. great as a babyface, great as a heel, great at promos, great at comedy, great at drawing emotions from the audience, and most importantly, fantastic in the ring. Absolutely the best part of smackdown right now, with his US title open challenge consistently getting 3-and-a-half + star matches each week. an absolutely generational talent who absolutely should have won a world title by now, and probably will within the next year."

[10.0] "Top 5 babyface of all time. Sami Zayn is truly a generational talent that can do any & everything you need from a professional wrestler. I can't wait until he finally wins the big one in WWE because no one deserves it more"

[8.0] "Top 10 current wrestlers in wwe, but I feel like it's been a while since he had a banger, currently bored by his character."

[4.0] "Good undercard act, not believable as a big time underdog. His work is ok, he doesn't stand out in any way. He can cut fantastic promos, but sometimes when in a serious promo it just sounds like he's whining. He works better as a comedy mid card heel than as an underdog main event-ish baby. Zayn's character has grown stale, the same underdog story time and time and time again, with the same types of characters around him, while cutting the same promo; all while being forced into the main event by a booker he's probably stooging for. Bleh."

[10.0] "Sami goddamn Zayn. One of if not the best babyface in wrestling... ever? Some of the best selling I've ever seen with believable jelly-legged performances like no-one else, babyface fire that can get even the most cynical viewer into the match, offence that feels desperate and effective at the same time. Christ, he was the most over face in ROH without speaking - if that isn't a testament to his ability then I don't know what is. He better be a world champion before he retires in WWE then he will be the greatest to wrestle in the fed who wasn't."

[10.0] "Sami fuckin Zayn. One of the best babyfaces of all time. One of the best matches I've seen when it comes to someone fighting from underneath. Gunther's arrogance costing him that match was the perfect way for him to lose the ic title at the grandest stage of them all because he had beaten everybody, including Sami once and because of that, he thought he was untouchable, and he was, before Sami capitalized on his mistake of underestimating him and because of that, Sami won the ic title, digging deep into his bag pulling out a Brainbustaaahhhhh on the top turnbuckle and capping it off with a Helluva Kick to seal the deal. I will shed tears the day Sami wins the world title. He's the best. *****"

[9.0] "One of the few wrestlers who is almost impossible to hate, Sami has a big heart and demonstrate that in pro-wrestling, he's very talented, and during his whole career transmitted a great energy, always lovable and charismatic, one of the best babyfaces of his generation, and an ultimate underdog. The El Generico character is complex, it's obviously very indie and comedic, it's not something that deeply attaches me but for sure he had many wonderful matches during that period, and even though it's silly, he always knew the right tone to perform a role like that. In the WWE he lost the mask and things became much more personal, he's a natural underdog, reminds me so much of Mick Foley, but he kept the charisma and the magnetism that gets people into him, that makes people feel, he's a very sentimental guy, always been. Zayn thrived even under the most lame and obnoxious bookings that were thrown at him, he was always there making the most out of any situation. Certainly one of the best, a guy that you always want to root for."

[10.0] "He's 100% my one of the all time's favorite. I love Sami and I want him to be a WWE champion, cause he deserves it, Kevin did it, but not Sami and that's sad for me. He's still only 40 and will get his chance I guess. Look at Kofi with his "Kofimania" and tell me, Sami don't deserve something like that?"

[9.0] "Sami Zayn to me is the ideal wrestler, one of the go-to guys for me to show wrestling to my friends who aren't exactly sold yet. Such a fantastic babyface, although his heel work is still pretty alright."

[8.0] "I love Sami Zayn. He can be such a loveable babyface or a cowardly heel, He can make the worst of the worst somehow work. Incredible mic skills and a supernatural charm to him he manages to amaze every single time he steps into the squared circle. His in-ring work has been consistently good but not as he once was such as his ROH - NXT days and current booking wise, he'll be stuck in the midcard or chasing the world title for years to come."

[10.0] "Very similar to my KO review. You can not understate how great Sami is, what he did in the indies all the way to main eventing wrestlemania. In my opinion Sami Zayn is th best babyface of all time. He saved WWE and sparked the boom they had by joining the bloodline story, which would've gone stale without him. All Time Great."