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Sami Zayn turned out to be one of the very few WWE NXT call-ups who did not suffer too much from Vince McMahon. He has never been presented as a future WWE Champion or main eventer. However, Zayn has remained on-screen for most of his main roster career.
The Master Strategist has gone through several interesting gimmicks in recent years. Like a Swiss knife, Zayn has been able to switch between characters and play his part nearly perfectly.
In recent months, fans have seen him work with WWE’s top faction, The Bloodline. He was recently acknowledged as The Honorary Uce of the faction by none other than Roman Reigns.
The former Intercontinental Champion has worked tirelessly on both RAW and SmackDown to gel with the group and give fans several entertaining segments.
Zayn is neither a strongman nor a powerhouse. Yet, he is someone who can perfectly define what a sports entertainer stands for. With that said, check out the five WWE stars who have praised Sami Zayn’s work in recent months.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Edge
Former WWE Champion Edge has done it all and won it all in the company. However, the fire in his eyes refuses to die as he is currently back on another run and is looking to reach the top once again.
The Rated-R Superstar has already fought some big names for dream matches. He has also named a few superstars he wants to face in the ring before retiring. Among them, Sami Zayn is one of the superstars he wants to fight in the ring.
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso spoke to Edge about who he would like to face in the coming years. Not only did Edge name Zayn as a potential opponent, but he also showered him with praise.
"There’s a key to Sami’s success. There is an element of truth to all his promos. As a heel, you have to have that nugget of truth. If you have it, you can push everything else forward. So his promos feel much more real. He’s doing incredible work," Edge said.
The Hall of Famer also spoke about how well Zayn has developed his character over the years.
"The crowd just knows to boo this guy. That’s to his credit. His promos, his character work—Sami is incredible. He’s gone from El Generico, then this plucky babyface with checkered tights and Mighty Mighty Bosstones–type music. Now he looks like some kind of dictator. I really dig it. Thinking about it, I can’t wait for it to happen," He added.
It’s incredible to see that Sami Zayn is one of Edge’s dream opponents. It would be great to see the two superstars compete in the ring someday.
#4. Kayla Braxton recently praised Sami Zayn
Many fans will know Kayla Braxton as the extremely popular backstage personality who also co-hosts WWE’s The Bump. Braxton has made a name for herself in the company and stands out as one of the best interviewers.
With over 700,000 followers on Instagram, Braxton is among the most influential stars in WWE. She has praised several current superstars in recent years, including Sami Zayn. During the September 28 episode of The Bump, Kayla sang Sami’s praise in front of the WWE Universe.
She called him the most entertaining character on television every week. Braxton also added that he is a different breed of entertainer.
"Sami Zayn is the most entertaining character we have on television every single week," Braxton said. "I watch him backstage getting ready for his stuff. I've never seen anyone, I mean, everyone is very passionate and does a lot of hard work, but Sami is just a whole different kind of breed of entertainer. You can tell how much he cares, and he's passionate. Doing interviews with him is so much fun because we can riff off of each other and figure out the way the audience will perceive it. That man is brilliant."
Sami Zayn has received praise for his recent work in WWE from all over the world. He has become one of the fan favorites who can go on to break some stereotypes in the wrestling world.
#3. Shane Helms has been working backstage for the company
Shane Helms (known as The Hurricane in WWE) was known to be an extremely entertaining character on-screen. He put on some great rivalries that saw his superhero character make unbelievable outcomes believable.
Helms is currently working as a backstage producer for WWE and has worked with several top superstars in the industry. However, one superstar he believes is extremely versatile is none other than Sami Zayn.
He was a guest on the After The Bell podcast with Corey Graves, where he and the host discussed The Honorary Uce. Shane agreed that there was no one better in the entire industry than Sami Zayn.
"Sami [Zayn] is right now, and I have no problem saying this, Sami is the top performer in this entire industry. That’s how good Sami is. It’s daunting sometimes, Sami has a reputation you know. He’ll drive you bananas, but the end result is always a home run or grand slam," The Hurricane said.
Many current superstars look up to Shane Helms as one of their inspirations. He has frequently praised Sami Zayn in recent months. It’s great to see the WWE legend put his weight behind The Honorary Uce.
#2. Former WWE Champion Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn is one of the most versatile wrestlers in the world today. He has taken on some of the biggest names in sports entertainment and built great rivalries with them.
In early 2022, WWE banked on his qualities as an entertainer to book him into a rivalry with popular celebrity Johnny Knoxville. The two competed in an "Anything Goes" match at WrestleMania 38.
It was Knoxville’s first singles wrestling match and he needed someone to work with him to put on a show. The Master Strategist delivered and put on an entertaining match that left fans laughing for days. Despite his loss, Zayn came out as one of the top performers at WrestleMania 38.
Later on, his best friend Kevin Owens took to Twitter to praise his buddy’s performance. Owens, who was playing a heel at the time, broke character to tweet that his Sami is the best in the world.
"He's the best in the f****** world!" Owens wrote.
In a subsequent post, the Prizefighter hailed his friend for the match and said he enjoyed every second of the match.
"Every second of that absolutely ruled. There's nobody better," said KO.
It’s not the first time Owens has praised The Honorary Uce. The two have competed in countless matches together and against each other, and have shown mutual respect whenever given the chance.
#1. Roman Reigns recently accepted Sami Zayn as The Honorary Uce
Roman Reigns is arguably the biggest name in sports entertainment today. Reigns has worked with some of the biggest superstars in WWE and has elevated himself to become the top heel in the industry.
The Tribal Chief plays his character extremely well on-screen. He has formed a great faction known as The Bloodline that has taken over the company.
In an interview with BT Sports' Ariel Helwani, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion was asked about the superstars who have grown in stature and could face him in the future. Reigns named Sami Zayn as one of the stars who could face him in the future and said he was great at what he does.
"One guy, he... I don't know how to get there without smacking the *** out of him but Sami Zayn is one of those guys that where you can't... He's like your neighbor, he doesn't scream Superstar, WWE Superstar. But there's something he has, like an intangible that you can't stop looking. Even in real life you want to converse with him, you want to have a quick little conversation, he'll pop you real quick, and then say, 'Alright, I got a good laugh and now I'll go about my business. See you later, Sami.' He's one of those guys that's so talented that he, whatever it may be, it just needs a little more. If you can get Sami Zayn on TV more, that's a good thing," said Roman Reigns.
Little did Reigns know that Sami would start following him and The Usos months later and win their trust. He is now The Honorary Uce in The Bloodline and has been putting on some excellent segments with the faction.
