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Although he has lost a lot more matches than he has won since returning to active duty after WrestleMania 35, Sami Zayn is still a very valuable Superstar to the WWE. His ring work has always been top notch but an underused aspect of his that hasn't been utilized as much had been his mic work.
Once he turned heel last year in support of Kevin Owens, Zayn was truly allowed to shine on the mic. He would bash the fans and any and all of his opponents. He also was hilarious in his belittlement of Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon during their feud.
His mic work was always a strength and he put it to great use upon his return from injury. Blasting the WWE Universe became his weekly mission, as he blamed them for not taking responsibility or accountability for their own shortcomings.
On the latest SmackDown, Zayn was able to use his stellar mic work for a different reason - to be an advocate like Paul Heyman to other Superstars. He told the Miz that he helped provide a voice for those like Shinsuke Nakamura and that any and all questions for the Artist would have to be directed at Zayn. Their history goes back to NXT when Nakamura defeated Zayn in his debut match with the company.
And with that, the potential for alliances for Zayn opened up greatly. He doesn't necessarily need to speak for everyone but could simply ally himself with some other stars. It's unclear if this is a new direction that will go further than just one PPV cycle, but here are five more people in the WWE who could become aligned with Zayn.
#5 AOP
Along with many other names like Ali, Buddy Murphy and Asuka, one name that Kevin Owens named in his pipe bomb promo was AOP. They've been primarily absent from WWE TV since they returned to action at Super Showdown.
They've previously had alliances with Paul Ellering and Drake Maverick, so pairing them with Zayn would be a no-brainer. Neither Akam or Rezar really speak that much because they let their brutality and physicality speak for themselves in the ring.
But if they want to continue to pair Zayn with stars or teams that need a push forward, then AOP is perfect. They are future champions but haven't hit the same stride they previously had once they initially debuted. They did win the titles once before but have become one of the forgotten teams. Zayn could easily get them over again with one promo.
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#4 EC3
Although EC3 doesn't need anyone to speak for him, he hasn't exactly been given ample time to speak on the mic. It was one of his strengths in both Impact and NXT but for whatever reason, his promo time has been little. Instead, he's been in the parade of stars chasing around whomever is holding the 24/7 Championship that week.
By recasting EC3 as someone who refuses to speak, the excuse to have Zayn speak for him could easily be used. He's been someone who has been overlooked for the most part since joining the main roster earlier this year. He's clearly talented, otherwise the WWE would not have signed him.
EC3 does have the a great ability to speak with his facial expressions, so that could be a way of those two communicating. If they want to add another layer to his character, they could even incorporate some type of talent or artistic talent that EC3 might secretly have. Zayn said he was an artist and that's what he had in common with Nakamura. By giving EC3 another layer and pairing him with Zayn, the WWE could give him a direction that he hasn't yet had.
#3 The Viking Raiders
Like AOP, the Viking Raiders don't really need to talk that much in order to get their point across. They're physical and hard-hitting and quite frankly are extremely athletic for guys their size. They remind me of how Kevin Owens and Willie Mack fly all over the ring like cruiserweights.
Both Erik and Ivar have been primarily stomping on local talent but they need an uptick in competition. Zayn could tell them that they are so much more than that and that they should be getting title shots instead of beating up guys who are just local competitors.
The reason why a potential pairing could work is because as I mentioned above, the main direction for the Viking Raiders has simply been to appear on RAW and beat a much smaller team in under five minutes. Zayn could add legitimacy to them by guiding them since they are still new to the main roster.
#2 Asuka
Depending on how you look at it, Asuka's pairing with Paige and Kairi Sane had all the potential in the world, but it has to be seen as a missed opportunity. Part of it is the uneven booking for the Women's Tag Team titles and part of it is because they jumped the gun to form a team between the two former NXT Women's Champions in order to fill the tag team division for women.
Even though it was a great idea, the execution left the Kabuki Warriors off of TV for most of their tenure thus far. They did win a match a few months ago but never got a one-on-one match with the Champions until after SummerSlam. They lost that match.
Asuka is so talented and it was a little disappointing to put her in a tag team. An easy way to rectify that is to have her turn on Paige and Sane. She can use Zayn as her mouthpiece just like Nakamura, and say that she hasn't been able to express herself while with Paige and Sane.
It would make sense since they haven't won the titles but were treated like a big deal right away. It's not their fault or Paige's fault, but a big change like Io Shirai experienced in NXT recently could really give Asuka an edge that she has been missing.
#1 Shane McMahon
During his whole reign of terror in WWE this year, Shane McMahon has briefly had his aspirations line up with those of Sami Zayn. They both countered the New Day and were on the same page for a brief period. Even though they squared off two years ago in a tag team feud with Owens partnering with Zayn and Daniel Bryan alongside McMahon as the GM and Commissioner of SmackDown, they've both moved on.
In order to get his new-found allies some big chances, Zayn could buddy up with McMahon even more so. People have always kissed up to McMahons in order to get opportunities, and Shane even mentioned that during his initial explanation of why he turned on the Miz.
It appears that Shane isn't going away any time soon, so it would make storyline sense for Zayn to try to get Shane on his side. Nakamura is the Intercontinental Champion so he could try to get Shane to give Nakamura favorable match-ups. It appears that the Miz might be headed for a feud with the new allies, so that would also line up with McMahon's opponents this year.
Who do you think would be a good choice to ally with Sami Zayn? Comment below and follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!
