Full disclosure, I’m a massive, massive Sami Zayn fan. Be it his; in-ring ability, his quirkiness on the mic, his humanitarian aid and the fact that he’s a fellow Muslim!
Also, further disclosure I CALLED THAT SAMI WOULD COME OUT AND HELP KEVIN! Check out the SLTD predictions article to read my correct prediction! My new moniker of ‘Vince Russo 2.0’ is coming true.
HiAC was a heck of a pay-per-view, that’s for sure! Let’s be honest the biggest talking point coming away the pay-per-view was the ending with Sami’s ‘heel-turn’. But what if this ‘heel-turn’ wasn’t actually a heel turn?
That shudder
One of the best pieces of character work I’ve seen in WWE for a while was that shot of Sami Zayn shuddering after the match.
You could tell he was mentally affected by what had just happened, and it was taking a physical manifestation. This is why I feel there is doubt over a heel-turn. Heel’s, in general, don’t show remorse. Kevin Owen’s teases it sometimes, but other than that, they’re ruthless. Sami however clearly was shaken by what he had just done.
WWE can play this up on SmackDown tonight, giving Sami’s character an added emotional dimension. This leads into my next point.
Kevin’s his best friend
WWE hasn’t shied away from the fact that Sami and Kevin are best friends. (Well kayfabe wise not right now). Sami has made it clear that deep down he still cares for Kevin Owens. This would justify his actions on Sunday. No matter how much someone hurts you (and boy has Kevin hurt Sami) they’re still your best friend, you’d do anything for them.
If WWE uses this as Sami’s motivation for getting involved with the match, then they don’t need to turn Sami heel.
He comes out tonight, say’s something along the lines of, ‘he couldn’t watch his best friend be brutalised. Or ‘Shane if you were my best friend I’d do the same for you.’
If he comes out and cuts this impassioned promo, and someone like Daniel Bryan gets behind him, there’s no way he’d be considered a heel. He’ll become an even bigger babyface. Which then brings us to my final point.
Shane MacMahon heel turn
Two things are true in WWE; Shane MacMahon is a big deal and Sami Zayn is underutilised. Put two and two together and you’ve got magic! Shane MacMahon is a pretty underrated heel go and watch the work he and Vince did with DX and you’ll see what I mean.
Giving Sami a feud with Shane would elevate him to the next level, and do you know why? Because it’s an above the Title Belt feud. Like AJ earlier this year, Sami doesn’t need a title for this programme to be big and to be honest, the SmackDown title scene at the moment is below Sami. If you put Zayn in there with Shane, you know he’ll work his butt off and prove why Kota Ibushi called him ‘the best worker in the world’.
Not only that, but it’ll really freshen up SmackDown. It’ll change the entire dynamic of the brand, will heels be pushed more? And vice versa, will face’s have a bigger uphill struggle? What about Daniel Bryan? Will he remain a face, and if so will he support Shane?
Conclusion
At the end of the day, no matter how WWE take this, it’s huge for Sami Zayn, and that’s all that matters! Would I prefer that he stays face? Sure I would, who else could I watch skanking to the ring with Ska playing? But in the end, it doesn’t matter, because we know behind the scenes Sami and Kevin 100% worked together on this story.
It just goes to show, friendship always wins… (Unless you’re Chris Jericho, then it get’s you thrown into a TV).
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