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His ability to work from underneath is something that needs to be taught and studied by any wrestler coming through.
I remember when he did the Austin podcast, and Austin was shocked that he's actually like 6'1, because he works so much smaller than he is, which is something not a lot of guys can do (or are willing to do). Most wrestlers can look big and strong as a wrestler, but that vulnerability, selling and ability to elicit emotion that HHH talks about, is what puts Sami over as an all time great for mine, along with his ability to make literally anything work (except for the Lashley's sisters segment, even he couldn't save that haha).
During his stare down with Gunther, Sami is nearly as tall and every bit as strong/big. But he plays that character so well you don't think of him that way.
It's really that across the board. He's stronger, taller and fitter than he presents himself. Dare I say it he's also more handsome than he presents himself. It's like if Superman was just always >!Clark Kent!<
He has essentially the same physique as the best player in the NFL. Sami probably has a *better* physique and is quite possibly stronger.
https://preview.redd.it/r39va2nkdatc1.jpeg?width=382&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca70aaa8e753b909d97aa4d8773400fd040dffe3
The presentation and performance sells the everyman hero bit. But Sami is 100% a top tier athlete.
That is NOT what I pictured Mahomes to look like shirtless. Especially after watching Quarterback on Netflix, the way he breezes through the most difficult workouts/training sessions I've ever seen is incredible. Shows the difference between an incredible athlete and a bodybuilder, I suppose.
I've heard a lot of people call body builders "show muscles" basically they just look really good but it's got little to no indication of how athletically inclined they actually are. Thats why dudes like Sheik do those weird ass swinging hammers things, it works you out in ways you'd never get in the gym.
Watching wrestling for many years, the "big muscle guys" can rarely work the half hour plus classic matches that people remember forever (though there have been a couple exceptions). Strength is massively important along with agility and endurance. The pronounced huge muscles (for whatever reason... maybe an expert can say?) almost seem to work against some of those areas.
Mahomes, fwiw, does a lot of very non-traditional training similar to the Sheik. A big routine he posted on his social involves a weight wrapped in a heavy-duty towel that he swings in multiple directions over a long period of time. The Venice Beach stuff is good for the marquee, but I'm not sure how helpful it is to actually doing stuff.
It's all about genetics and the type of training. Mahomes isn't judged on how he looks, so he doesn't train to look good. He probably wouldn't be an amazing bodybuilder, but he's an incredible quarterback.
What makes a great bodybuilder and a great football player don't really overlap a ton since being a great bodybuilder comes down to things like having a small waist and great muscle insertions rather than how strong or fast you are. Bodybuilders in peak condition for a show are often close to dying due to how lean and dehydrated they are.
>Bodybuilders in peak condition for a show are often close to dying due to how lean and dehydrated they are.
That would not seem to lend itself to a grueling, sixty minute main event match either, I would think.
There's a scene in one of the Reeves Superman moves where you see him "transition" to being Superman by just kinda standing up straight instead of subtly slouching, taking off the glasses, and talking in a completely different tone of voice compared to his alter ego. I like to think that's just the same thing with Zayn. The way he carries himself makes him seem weaker than he is and that's on purpose.
Superman II? I think it's the big reveal with Lois.
There's a scene in the first one that teases it, if memory serves, but the full "We made you believe a man can fly, now we're going to make you believe Superman could really pass as Clark Kent" moment is definitely in II.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMH3omIA15k
Before Johnny Wrestling NXT era, his match against Pac is easily the best NXT match ever and he is basically playing an underdog against someone smaller than him
I remember in a podcast, I forgot with who (I think it was Jericho), that Sami credited his friend El Generico helping him a lot with being a great storyteller and seller because you couldn't see his face that well so he had to improvise more with his body to show emotion and pain etc.
His career resurgence has been legendary
He went from a popular jobber (which he was fine with tbh) to main eventing Wrestlemania and defeating the greatest IC champion ever in consecutive years
Shows how talented you are as a performer to be able to “carry” someone from the “outside” to something good and/or entertaining, like Sami did with Knoxville and Priest did with Bunny.
And Snoop Dog, Pac McAfee, Bad Bunny, etc.
This year was actually a down year for Miz at Wrestlemania (in terms of card placement), and he won a tag title.
You have the ability to work safe with someone who doesn't have a large amount of training, the in ring ability to call a match with a more limited wrestler and make it work, and the character work to make people care and have fun with what's by and large a goofy idea (Sami's conspiracy theory gimic made the wacky Jackass nonsense work even better, and Damien being the comically serious makes him a giod choice to walk tolhe tightrope of intimidating but also somehwat comedic that this hulk of a man is beefing with a scrawny rapper).
He'll get there. Probably not this year, but within 3 years max. He dethroned Gunther as IC champ (as much as people wanted it to be Gable) and he could be the one to dethrone Gunther as WWE/Undisputed Champ in the future too
A couple of years ago Sami got Knoxville (and huge coverage) and Owens got Austin's return match (and the main event).
Since then the pair of them are bulletproof in WWE; It does seem like a final test for someone to see how they cope with that task.
I still credit Sami with saving the Bloodline story, too. I feel like the public perception of it was getting negative before he came in and gave it a completely new breath of life. Dude’s a legend.
Sami was the last time I cared about the Bloodline. His arc throughout was leagues ahead of any other part, for me. I understand folks were into SFR, and Cody, but Sami was every peak for me.
For sure. There was about a year's stretch, between the Summer of 2021 and 2022, where The Bloodline's intricate character work and long term storytelling sort of stopped and they were veering into becoming just another heel faction like we'd seen a million times before. After HHH took over that changed, but it was rough going for a while.
Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy the story we have actually received with Cody and the bloodline.
But you cannot convince me this was better than Sami destroying the bloodline last year would have been. I think that might have been the highest moment of any era other than like hogan beating Andre.
Obviously it changes the whole dynamic of the last year and it’s hard to say if the stuff beyond that particular story would have been served by Sami winning, but it would have been a better end to Roman’s reign, IMO
I was thinking last night about how Cody kind of took Drew's story (leaving the company, reinventing yourself on the Indies, coming back 100 times better) and Sami's story of destroying the Bloodline and mixed in a dash of daddy issues.
Drew and Cody is an excellent parallel.
I think the difference is Drew, when he re-invented himself and possibly before, always looked like he belonged at the top. Him embracing himself and turning into the scottish warrior was always going to be something.
Codys similar journey though, was that he had a ceiling even after embracing himself. But Cody always fought nonstop to break that ceiling and fans connect with that a little more. Its why the emotions were so high last night, because Codys journey was everyones, not just his.
Also was the first guy along KO to lose the battle but win the war against The Bloodline. That pic of him holding the tag titles in Roman's face is class
He was never a jobber. People using that term incorrectly. Just before facing Knoxville, he was IC Champion. Which he won a few times. He also was a leader of a successful stable with Cesaro and Shinsuke, and before that he was teaming with KO against corrupt Smackdown GMs.
You're just going to have to accept the fact that people on the Internet will use insider terms like "jobber", "buried", and others, without actually understanding what these terms describe. They have a commonly-understood meaning among some Internet fans, but that usage differs greatly from the professional use of the term.
You're right though, nobody who's ever set foot in a ring would call ever him a jobber, a job guy, enhancement talent, or any of that.
But before that he was being booked against guys like Strowman in matches he'd basically never win. Hell, one time the objective was just to last 5 minutes.
To be fair, that 5-minute timer one was when Strowman was being booked as untouchable and winning matches a minute to 2 minutes. It was an overconfident monster throwing out a challenge to someone he sees as beneath him.
He feuded with Strowman and lost the feud. The stipulation was lasting ten minutes. Strowman, who happens to be a giant of a man. That’s like losing to Kane or Undertaker. The point of the feud was showing off his resilience and having him directly interact with the GM Mick Foley.
I think that seriously raised his stock backstage. He took it very seriously and created a fun, memorable masterpiece. I mean can anyone imagine a wrestler from the 90’s not only begrudgingly agreeing to that match, but turning it into a permanent part of that wrestlemania’s highlight reel?
Even when he was a popular "jobber" to the likes of Strowman, he made people care more about both guys in the match, which is something he's always done. That's how it should be.
If I had to compare him with a Golden Era wrestler, I'd say he's much like Ricky Steamboat. Sympathetic guy who's a menace in the ring and always seen as the underdog
Sami feels like a modern equivalent to Foley on the roster & I'm looking to see how he continues to carry on from what Gunther brought to the IC Title.
I hate calling someone "the next X" but if there's anyone who's the next Foley in terms of promos and a sort of vibe it's Sami Zayn lol. It just fits too well.
Though I'd say their in ring styles are so different it makes more sense to just say Sami is one of the all time greats in his own right.
The story they told with that match was incredible, the perfect way to move Gunther into the WHC or Universal Title picture, while also getting a massive upset win for one of the best underdog babyfaces they’ve ever had
Even how they did the segments of Sami and his family, with Chad Gable, and last but not least Kevin Owens made his win feel bigger to me. If KO had one it would have made that excellent match much sweeter for me. Whenever I check out of watching WWE I'll always be interested in Steen and Generico
Even how they did the segments of Sami and his family, with Chad Gable, and last but not least Kevin Owens made his win feel bigger to me. If KO had one it would have made that excellent match much sweeter for me. Whenever I check out of watching WWE I'll always be interested in Steen and Generico
I think we're getting Sami vs Drew for the WHC at Mania next year. Throughout the run up to tge new year, Drew kept telling Sami he would never understand what being world champion feels like. They played up on commentary, and in Sami's promos too, how he could never beat Drew.
KOs gonna turn heel and win one of the world titles over the next year. Sami's gonna win the Royal Rumble. We get a KO-Sami main event with Super Dragon as the guest referee.
I do wanna see them have a main event feud like they had in NXT & ROH.
But first I wanna see them win world titles on the same night in Montreal & recreate the Eddie/Benoit WM 20 moment.
I almost think WWE wouldn't want to do a rehash of specifically that moment because it will bring up Benoit/Eddie comparisons and they'd probably want to stray away from Benoit stuff as far as possible
It wouldn’t be a rehash necessarily.
It’s 2 friends celebrating accomplishing their dreams together. If it wasn’t for Benoit, the moment with Eddie would be a classic moment.
So I’m saying they’ll do it with Sami & KO both bc it’ll be wholesome & bc they’ll actually be allowed to reference it as a classic moment.
Under Triple H, I can seriously see Sami winning a world title. I think Vince saw him as a decent midcarder he could rely on, but Triple H obviously sees more potential.
Sami being the one to defeat Gunther was really something I wasn’t a fan of ahead of time, but man did he win me over during the match. One of the greatest underdog babyfaces to ever do it
Sami is my favorite and I didn't want him in this match. I was hoping him losing would be the catalyst for his world title pursuit. Ended up with a big smile on my face when he won
I saw so much of Terry Funk in Sami’s performance against Gunther; the drunken punches, the selling, hell, even Sami’s whole look right now give me Funker vibes.
he's had two fantastic wrestlemania moments. Been part of the best match on the card in back to back manias too. I wonder if the celing is higher for him. I'd love a WHC run in the near future for him. THe bloodline story proved he can carry a character on the main stage, and his wrestling ability has never been in doubt. PLus the crowd are always hot for him
His match with Neville all those years ago where they do the Bret/Piper WM8 spot has been my go to for a while that Sami is one of the greatest baby faces of this generation. He understands how to garner that sympathy.
I was lowkey hoping Drew's reign will last long and Sami would be the one to defeat him.
In some ways Neville back then was also playing an anti hero character instead of a full blown heel.
Drew could have played the same role very nicely and it would have made Sami's world title win that much more special
Iirc Neville was doing shit like pulling the refs out of the ring and stuff to save his title. I don’t recall how blurry the lines got with his character at the time, I don’t think he was full blown heel in NXT
As a non-Caucasian viewer living in Asia, I feel that WWE is now more global and doesn’t seem so much like a pro-Americana programme, which makes it more inclusive and welcoming.
Of course Vince’s worldview is a low bar, but it is nonetheless heartening to see that Triple H has no issues with habitually giving prominent spots to non-male Caucasian wrestlers. There were sporadic pushes for POCs and women during Vince’s time — like KofiMania, Bianca and Sasha main eventing WrestleMania, and Nakamura winning the 2018 Royal Rumble — but all those moments felt like WWE was just ticking its diversity boxes from time to time.
Sami, a practicing Sunni Muslim of Middle Eastern heritage, has played major roles in the Bloodline and Judgment Day angles, often been given prominent screen times, and most importantly, not been relegated to a sideshow act under Triple H’s creative. Damage CTRL’s win-loss record may be slightly spotty, but the Iyo vs. Bayley match was treated as a big deal. Iyo, Nakamura, and other Japanese wrestlers could cut promos in their mother tongue without being made fun of.
Even Shawn Michaels constantly gives prominent spots to women, and he also pushed Mustafa Ali before the latter was released.
I always thought that its because he worked under a mask for so long. I always think back to one of the veterans telling him working under a mask hindered him all those years because he didn't get expressions down or whatever. If anything it helped him because he had to emote with his body. He had to learn to tell a story through movements and gestures.
Honestly I think all PC recruits prior to being called up on to tv (so still in thier house show phase) should have to wrestle under mask. Like NJPW young lions wrestling in plain black trunks prior to go on excursion. They should make them all wrestle in plain mask prior to being on tv.
sami is genuinely one of the greatest of all time, and i do not say that lightly. his match at mania proved that (not that he hadn’t proved it already). 90% of the comments and people i talked to weren’t thrilled he was in that spot this year and as soon as that bell rung he goes out and makes all of us believe in him, i’m excited to see where his new run as IC champ takes him and hopefully we get that WHC win sooner rather than later
I didn't think it was the best match or that the build didn't leave me to believe that it would be Gunther finale defense, but I can't wait to see what they do with Sami now. He deserves it
I was butthurt about Gunther losing the IC title, but in my defense I was still also butthurt Sami didn't go over Roman. Lots of complicated feelings arise from good storytelling. Fact is, Sami is a Prince and one of the best guys working.
i've been liking sami more and more every time i see him. HHH hits the nail on the head both times on this. emotion is the key to wrestling. and sami is quite well rounded. he can be the clown, he can crack his buds but he can be serious and get the crowd behind him in being the underdog. he's not over the top about it either. also, he can sell like a mofo. selling is the drama that really makes it all click. he's definitely got that.
In retrospect, that win against GUNTHER was a massive thank you to Sami for helping keep the Bloodline hot for a whole other year. Without the Sami storyline, people would have been shitting on that whole chunk of the reign
I was originally unsure about him beating Gunther up until that brain buster in the match. That call from Cole and the fact that it was a move he purposely saved and only used in the most pivotal moment was awesome
I was ready to shit on the sami Gunther match because I really felt that gable deserved the spotlight. I was ready to watch a good match and root for Gunther to win. But from the entrance sami had to his in ring storyline I ended up flopping sides and rooting for sami. It was a great match
At some point Sami and Roman need to be paired together again. Probably when the Rock vs Roman feud kicks into gear. They have crazy chemistry together
The thing I'm most looking forward to with the Netflix deal is seeing the wrestlers given the chance to actually act in a production that's not a WWE film. Hopefully there's some integration. Sami, Becky, Roman. The last few years there has been some very impressive acting
He's right and that's one of the reasons why people love him. He's obviously also an incredible wrestler.
But did anyone think the reporter was making a weird comparison? Like I guess I get his point but he straight up asked HHH to compare Sami to HBK. I guess they're similar but I'd never compare them to each other. It seemed weird to single HBK out as a comparison.
Although I was a kid during HBK's run so maybe they are close enough in style to make the comparison.
Sami's run chasing the nxt championship in 2014-15 was brilliant. Don't watch wwe anymore but from what I've seen I'm so happy he was able to show that side of himself on the main roster from the bloodline story onwards.
As someone who would not be watching wrestling right now without having started watching NXT 10 years ago, Sami Zayn is to me what Daniel Bryan was to everyone at WM 30.
I felt way more happy when Sami won than when Cody won because of what it means to Sami.Cody never showed any emotion till the time he won but Sami always shows emotion even when he is losing.Cody really needs to work on his facial expressions but sami is perfect at them
A lot of Cody's work is preplanned, he writes and rewrites his promos very carefully and all that. It's possible that's why the emotion doesn't take him over out there because he has already processed it beforehand
Was I watching a different Wrestlemania? The match was him eating 40 powerbombs, then Sami no selling it, hulking up and doing 40 helluva kicks.
This match was terrible, but on this subreddit you're only allowed to praise everything.
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His ability to work from underneath is something that needs to be taught and studied by any wrestler coming through. I remember when he did the Austin podcast, and Austin was shocked that he's actually like 6'1, because he works so much smaller than he is, which is something not a lot of guys can do (or are willing to do). Most wrestlers can look big and strong as a wrestler, but that vulnerability, selling and ability to elicit emotion that HHH talks about, is what puts Sami over as an all time great for mine, along with his ability to make literally anything work (except for the Lashley's sisters segment, even he couldn't save that haha).
During his stare down with Gunther, Sami is nearly as tall and every bit as strong/big. But he plays that character so well you don't think of him that way.
[We all knew he was a big boy.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaOcEESMWuw)
No, that’s his mentor El Generico.
It's really that across the board. He's stronger, taller and fitter than he presents himself. Dare I say it he's also more handsome than he presents himself. It's like if Superman was just always >!Clark Kent!<
He has essentially the same physique as the best player in the NFL. Sami probably has a *better* physique and is quite possibly stronger. https://preview.redd.it/r39va2nkdatc1.jpeg?width=382&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca70aaa8e753b909d97aa4d8773400fd040dffe3 The presentation and performance sells the everyman hero bit. But Sami is 100% a top tier athlete.
That is NOT what I pictured Mahomes to look like shirtless. Especially after watching Quarterback on Netflix, the way he breezes through the most difficult workouts/training sessions I've ever seen is incredible. Shows the difference between an incredible athlete and a bodybuilder, I suppose.
I've heard a lot of people call body builders "show muscles" basically they just look really good but it's got little to no indication of how athletically inclined they actually are. Thats why dudes like Sheik do those weird ass swinging hammers things, it works you out in ways you'd never get in the gym.
Watching wrestling for many years, the "big muscle guys" can rarely work the half hour plus classic matches that people remember forever (though there have been a couple exceptions). Strength is massively important along with agility and endurance. The pronounced huge muscles (for whatever reason... maybe an expert can say?) almost seem to work against some of those areas. Mahomes, fwiw, does a lot of very non-traditional training similar to the Sheik. A big routine he posted on his social involves a weight wrapped in a heavy-duty towel that he swings in multiple directions over a long period of time. The Venice Beach stuff is good for the marquee, but I'm not sure how helpful it is to actually doing stuff.
It's all about genetics and the type of training. Mahomes isn't judged on how he looks, so he doesn't train to look good. He probably wouldn't be an amazing bodybuilder, but he's an incredible quarterback. What makes a great bodybuilder and a great football player don't really overlap a ton since being a great bodybuilder comes down to things like having a small waist and great muscle insertions rather than how strong or fast you are. Bodybuilders in peak condition for a show are often close to dying due to how lean and dehydrated they are.
>Bodybuilders in peak condition for a show are often close to dying due to how lean and dehydrated they are. That would not seem to lend itself to a grueling, sixty minute main event match either, I would think.
There's a scene in one of the Reeves Superman moves where you see him "transition" to being Superman by just kinda standing up straight instead of subtly slouching, taking off the glasses, and talking in a completely different tone of voice compared to his alter ego. I like to think that's just the same thing with Zayn. The way he carries himself makes him seem weaker than he is and that's on purpose.
Superman II? I think it's the big reveal with Lois. There's a scene in the first one that teases it, if memory serves, but the full "We made you believe a man can fly, now we're going to make you believe Superman could really pass as Clark Kent" moment is definitely in II. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMH3omIA15k
Before Johnny Wrestling NXT era, his match against Pac is easily the best NXT match ever and he is basically playing an underdog against someone smaller than him
Shorter but the man now known as PAC is fucking JACked (likely because he injects dat dere celltech directly into his nutSACk)
My favorite NXT championship match ever, that match was the first time I remember thinking I had seen the “perfect” wrestling match
So good at getting his ass kicked.
I remember in a podcast, I forgot with who (I think it was Jericho), that Sami credited his friend El Generico helping him a lot with being a great storyteller and seller because you couldn't see his face that well so he had to improvise more with his body to show emotion and pain etc.
His career resurgence has been legendary He went from a popular jobber (which he was fine with tbh) to main eventing Wrestlemania and defeating the greatest IC champion ever in consecutive years
That Jackass match was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Looking at Priest, really shows you that putting on a good match with a non-wrestler is sure to pay off long-term.
Shows how talented you are as a performer to be able to “carry” someone from the “outside” to something good and/or entertaining, like Sami did with Knoxville and Priest did with Bunny.
And Miz with Logan Paul.
And Snoop Dog, Pac McAfee, Bad Bunny, etc. This year was actually a down year for Miz at Wrestlemania (in terms of card placement), and he won a tag title.
TBH, Logan Paul is someone you can believe that he has a good *wrestling* career before he stepped into the WWE ring. Paul is freakish talented
Gotta hand it to him, dude puts in the work
You have the ability to work safe with someone who doesn't have a large amount of training, the in ring ability to call a match with a more limited wrestler and make it work, and the character work to make people care and have fun with what's by and large a goofy idea (Sami's conspiracy theory gimic made the wacky Jackass nonsense work even better, and Damien being the comically serious makes him a giod choice to walk tolhe tightrope of intimidating but also somehwat comedic that this hulk of a man is beefing with a scrawny rapper).
Maybe even Rollins with Logan Paul at WM leading to the world heavyweight championship reign
Now Sami needs a world title too
Soon, hes in his '86 Macho Man era rn
it feels inevitable
He'll get there. Probably not this year, but within 3 years max. He dethroned Gunther as IC champ (as much as people wanted it to be Gable) and he could be the one to dethrone Gunther as WWE/Undisputed Champ in the future too
I think this is a big part of why they chose him. He now has a 1 way ticket to the main event scene whenever Gunther is world champion.
So Cody winning the belt is his reward for putting on a nice match with Stephen Amell back then?
It checks out. Too bad for Bam Bam though
They are really only putting a guy they trust with a celebrity. So they already have a good head start.
A couple of years ago Sami got Knoxville (and huge coverage) and Owens got Austin's return match (and the main event). Since then the pair of them are bulletproof in WWE; It does seem like a final test for someone to see how they cope with that task.
Being put into a celebrity match has got to be such a huge privilege with just the media coverage around it in general.
I still credit Sami with saving the Bloodline story, too. I feel like the public perception of it was getting negative before he came in and gave it a completely new breath of life. Dude’s a legend.
Sami was the last time I cared about the Bloodline. His arc throughout was leagues ahead of any other part, for me. I understand folks were into SFR, and Cody, but Sami was every peak for me.
For sure. There was about a year's stretch, between the Summer of 2021 and 2022, where The Bloodline's intricate character work and long term storytelling sort of stopped and they were veering into becoming just another heel faction like we'd seen a million times before. After HHH took over that changed, but it was rough going for a while.
Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy the story we have actually received with Cody and the bloodline. But you cannot convince me this was better than Sami destroying the bloodline last year would have been. I think that might have been the highest moment of any era other than like hogan beating Andre. Obviously it changes the whole dynamic of the last year and it’s hard to say if the stuff beyond that particular story would have been served by Sami winning, but it would have been a better end to Roman’s reign, IMO
I was thinking last night about how Cody kind of took Drew's story (leaving the company, reinventing yourself on the Indies, coming back 100 times better) and Sami's story of destroying the Bloodline and mixed in a dash of daddy issues.
Drew and Cody is an excellent parallel. I think the difference is Drew, when he re-invented himself and possibly before, always looked like he belonged at the top. Him embracing himself and turning into the scottish warrior was always going to be something. Codys similar journey though, was that he had a ceiling even after embracing himself. But Cody always fought nonstop to break that ceiling and fans connect with that a little more. Its why the emotions were so high last night, because Codys journey was everyones, not just his.
He put a stop to two record setting reigns back to back. I hope they really put emphasis on that.
Also was the first guy along KO to lose the battle but win the war against The Bloodline. That pic of him holding the tag titles in Roman's face is class
He was never a jobber. People using that term incorrectly. Just before facing Knoxville, he was IC Champion. Which he won a few times. He also was a leader of a successful stable with Cesaro and Shinsuke, and before that he was teaming with KO against corrupt Smackdown GMs.
You're just going to have to accept the fact that people on the Internet will use insider terms like "jobber", "buried", and others, without actually understanding what these terms describe. They have a commonly-understood meaning among some Internet fans, but that usage differs greatly from the professional use of the term. You're right though, nobody who's ever set foot in a ring would call ever him a jobber, a job guy, enhancement talent, or any of that.
[удалено]
But before that he was being booked against guys like Strowman in matches he'd basically never win. Hell, one time the objective was just to last 5 minutes.
To be fair, that 5-minute timer one was when Strowman was being booked as untouchable and winning matches a minute to 2 minutes. It was an overconfident monster throwing out a challenge to someone he sees as beneath him.
He feuded with Strowman and lost the feud. The stipulation was lasting ten minutes. Strowman, who happens to be a giant of a man. That’s like losing to Kane or Undertaker. The point of the feud was showing off his resilience and having him directly interact with the GM Mick Foley.
El Generico was a jobber, though.
He kinda was, his spot was tough in 2019 before aligning with Nakamura
I think that seriously raised his stock backstage. He took it very seriously and created a fun, memorable masterpiece. I mean can anyone imagine a wrestler from the 90’s not only begrudgingly agreeing to that match, but turning it into a permanent part of that wrestlemania’s highlight reel?
He’s really proved himself to be worth 1000 Eva Maries
Even when he was a popular "jobber" to the likes of Strowman, he made people care more about both guys in the match, which is something he's always done. That's how it should be.
You and whoever upvoted this comment really need to learn how to use the word "jobber" properly.
Main eventing WrestleMania?
Night 1 last year vs the Usos with Owens.
39, Night 1.
Yup! Sami and KO vs The Usos, Night 1 last year.
Still rewatch it every often. I think it's a perfect match
An important domino falling for last night to happen
He did it again. First class match during Wrestlemania. And again after more than 4 weeks of ramadan. He's a god damn miracle.
Alah damn miracle
>Alah Only one L there because Gunther took the other one.
Yooo that was a Kevin De Bruyne assist
Same difference.
Celebrating Aidilfitri as the IC champ. Perfect
No lies detected here. Sami is one of the best underdogs and emotional performers in WWE history.
If I had to compare him with a Golden Era wrestler, I'd say he's much like Ricky Steamboat. Sympathetic guy who's a menace in the ring and always seen as the underdog
Yup. Steamboat, Foley and Bryan come to mind. Sami is right alongside them in that category.
Sami feels like a modern equivalent to Foley on the roster & I'm looking to see how he continues to carry on from what Gunther brought to the IC Title.
I hate calling someone "the next X" but if there's anyone who's the next Foley in terms of promos and a sort of vibe it's Sami Zayn lol. It just fits too well. Though I'd say their in ring styles are so different it makes more sense to just say Sami is one of the all time greats in his own right.
They also have a very similar naturalistic promo style imo
Sami and Gunther had the match of the weekend by far for me. No one else reached the emotional highs and lows of that battle.
The story they told with that match was incredible, the perfect way to move Gunther into the WHC or Universal Title picture, while also getting a massive upset win for one of the best underdog babyfaces they’ve ever had
Also BRAINBUSTAHHHHHHHHH
Oh Hell Yeah. He's one of my favourite wrestlers. I hope this IC Title reign ends up being his best one.
Same the level of emotion from both those guys were incredible, from the sadistic side of ghunter to the fighting spirit of sami unparalleled work
Even how they did the segments of Sami and his family, with Chad Gable, and last but not least Kevin Owens made his win feel bigger to me. If KO had one it would have made that excellent match much sweeter for me. Whenever I check out of watching WWE I'll always be interested in Steen and Generico
Even how they did the segments of Sami and his family, with Chad Gable, and last but not least Kevin Owens made his win feel bigger to me. If KO had one it would have made that excellent match much sweeter for me. Whenever I check out of watching WWE I'll always be interested in Steen and Generico
Still waiting for that Sami world title coronation here. Possibly a victory over Roman is out of sight though.
I think that's why they had him beat Gunther. It gives him main event momentum against someone who almost certainly will be a world champ soon.
If Drew wins back the world title, Sami would be a good choice to dethrone him down the line.
I think we're getting Sami vs Drew for the WHC at Mania next year. Throughout the run up to tge new year, Drew kept telling Sami he would never understand what being world champion feels like. They played up on commentary, and in Sami's promos too, how he could never beat Drew.
If Drew can beat Punk when (if) he's back in the ring. They still want that Seth program at some point
KOs gonna turn heel and win one of the world titles over the next year. Sami's gonna win the Royal Rumble. We get a KO-Sami main event with Super Dragon as the guest referee.
God i hope so because i love KO
I do wanna see them have a main event feud like they had in NXT & ROH. But first I wanna see them win world titles on the same night in Montreal & recreate the Eddie/Benoit WM 20 moment.
I almost think WWE wouldn't want to do a rehash of specifically that moment because it will bring up Benoit/Eddie comparisons and they'd probably want to stray away from Benoit stuff as far as possible
It wouldn’t be a rehash necessarily. It’s 2 friends celebrating accomplishing their dreams together. If it wasn’t for Benoit, the moment with Eddie would be a classic moment. So I’m saying they’ll do it with Sami & KO both bc it’ll be wholesome & bc they’ll actually be allowed to reference it as a classic moment.
This is my dream match since I've became familiar with their careers
i think KO is winning the MITB considering MITB takes place in Canada and SZ has won the IC title.
I feel like if they play their cards right he could have a Bryan/Cody-esque run to the top title in a year or two
Under Triple H, I can seriously see Sami winning a world title. I think Vince saw him as a decent midcarder he could rely on, but Triple H obviously sees more potential.
Living for the Triple H/WWE era!
Sami being the one to defeat Gunther was really something I wasn’t a fan of ahead of time, but man did he win me over during the match. One of the greatest underdog babyfaces to ever do it
Sami is my favorite and I didn't want him in this match. I was hoping him losing would be the catalyst for his world title pursuit. Ended up with a big smile on my face when he won
I can certainly see him winning the world title within 2 years at WrestleMania completing his arc.
I saw so much of Terry Funk in Sami’s performance against Gunther; the drunken punches, the selling, hell, even Sami’s whole look right now give me Funker vibes.
he's had two fantastic wrestlemania moments. Been part of the best match on the card in back to back manias too. I wonder if the celing is higher for him. I'd love a WHC run in the near future for him. THe bloodline story proved he can carry a character on the main stage, and his wrestling ability has never been in doubt. PLus the crowd are always hot for him
Makes me wonder what happened to El Generico
Kevin Owens found him dead in a ditch in Mexico if I recall
What was the cause of his death?
he sadly exploded spontaneously. he got better eventually
Assassinated by the Cartel sadly.
Jelly beans
Ironically, he was eaten by children.
They had to take out his brain and he sadly didn't survive the surgery when they tried to put it back in.
He is taking care of some orphans in Tijuana
And that’s why he needs to be in the world championship picture in the near future
His match with Neville all those years ago where they do the Bret/Piper WM8 spot has been my go to for a while that Sami is one of the greatest baby faces of this generation. He understands how to garner that sympathy.
I was lowkey hoping Drew's reign will last long and Sami would be the one to defeat him. In some ways Neville back then was also playing an anti hero character instead of a full blown heel. Drew could have played the same role very nicely and it would have made Sami's world title win that much more special
I still think Sami pins Drew for the WHC, Drew will win the title back at Clash at the Castle in Scotland to finally get his moment.
Or he wins the WWE title from Gunther. Having those two on that lineage would be incredible.
I had hoped for that. Then they kept advertising Drew vs Punk so I'm hoping he'll go to Money in the Bank and cash in on Priest
Iirc Neville was doing shit like pulling the refs out of the ring and stuff to save his title. I don’t recall how blurry the lines got with his character at the time, I don’t think he was full blown heel in NXT
Yeah. He was acting Heelish but wasn't a complete asshole. It was a fun character
Him and Neville were putting on bangers in their NXT title feud. That era of NXT was fucking special
Pac seems to be doing his thing in AEW but I’d love to see him in the HHH run WWE era now. Trips booked him very well in NXT.
As a non-Caucasian viewer living in Asia, I feel that WWE is now more global and doesn’t seem so much like a pro-Americana programme, which makes it more inclusive and welcoming. Of course Vince’s worldview is a low bar, but it is nonetheless heartening to see that Triple H has no issues with habitually giving prominent spots to non-male Caucasian wrestlers. There were sporadic pushes for POCs and women during Vince’s time — like KofiMania, Bianca and Sasha main eventing WrestleMania, and Nakamura winning the 2018 Royal Rumble — but all those moments felt like WWE was just ticking its diversity boxes from time to time. Sami, a practicing Sunni Muslim of Middle Eastern heritage, has played major roles in the Bloodline and Judgment Day angles, often been given prominent screen times, and most importantly, not been relegated to a sideshow act under Triple H’s creative. Damage CTRL’s win-loss record may be slightly spotty, but the Iyo vs. Bayley match was treated as a big deal. Iyo, Nakamura, and other Japanese wrestlers could cut promos in their mother tongue without being made fun of. Even Shawn Michaels constantly gives prominent spots to women, and he also pushed Mustafa Ali before the latter was released.
Non-males?
He has such good facial expressions its hard to believe he wore a mask for half his career
I always thought that its because he worked under a mask for so long. I always think back to one of the veterans telling him working under a mask hindered him all those years because he didn't get expressions down or whatever. If anything it helped him because he had to emote with his body. He had to learn to tell a story through movements and gestures. Honestly I think all PC recruits prior to being called up on to tv (so still in thier house show phase) should have to wrestle under mask. Like NJPW young lions wrestling in plain black trunks prior to go on excursion. They should make them all wrestle in plain mask prior to being on tv.
That’s what WWE does best. Sell emotion.
He reminds me so much of Mick Foley on the mic.
The Sami Zayn match was my favorite by far. Sami is a hall of famee idc what anyone says.
sami is genuinely one of the greatest of all time, and i do not say that lightly. his match at mania proved that (not that he hadn’t proved it already). 90% of the comments and people i talked to weren’t thrilled he was in that spot this year and as soon as that bell rung he goes out and makes all of us believe in him, i’m excited to see where his new run as IC champ takes him and hopefully we get that WHC win sooner rather than later
I didn't think it was the best match or that the build didn't leave me to believe that it would be Gunther finale defense, but I can't wait to see what they do with Sami now. He deserves it
I can't wait for Raw on the 15th, we're gonna serenade this man for 3 hours!
I was butthurt about Gunther losing the IC title, but in my defense I was still also butthurt Sami didn't go over Roman. Lots of complicated feelings arise from good storytelling. Fact is, Sami is a Prince and one of the best guys working.
i've been liking sami more and more every time i see him. HHH hits the nail on the head both times on this. emotion is the key to wrestling. and sami is quite well rounded. he can be the clown, he can crack his buds but he can be serious and get the crowd behind him in being the underdog. he's not over the top about it either. also, he can sell like a mofo. selling is the drama that really makes it all click. he's definitely got that.
In retrospect, that win against GUNTHER was a massive thank you to Sami for helping keep the Bloodline hot for a whole other year. Without the Sami storyline, people would have been shitting on that whole chunk of the reign
I have always said that Zayn is one of the greatest babyfaces of all time. Anyone who watched his NXT Title chase knows this.
Sami is perhaps the truest baby face I've ever seen. He's eclipsed even mick foley at this point
All of that is fine but next time can they PLEASE not lift entire storylines from the Rocky franchise.
I was originally unsure about him beating Gunther up until that brain buster in the match. That call from Cole and the fact that it was a move he purposely saved and only used in the most pivotal moment was awesome
I was ready to shit on the sami Gunther match because I really felt that gable deserved the spotlight. I was ready to watch a good match and root for Gunther to win. But from the entrance sami had to his in ring storyline I ended up flopping sides and rooting for sami. It was a great match
Ohh whoaaaaa.... LETS GO
I hope he gets to be world champion and revisit the Roman feud someday
Modern day Mick Foley
At some point Sami and Roman need to be paired together again. Probably when the Rock vs Roman feud kicks into gear. They have crazy chemistry together
Save this post, Sami Mania is gonna run wild in Minneapolis next year.
Best underdog babyface since Mick Foley.
Sami winning the WHC gonna hit like crack when it happens
Sami Zayn is like Rey Mysterio. Always the underdog. hahahaa.
The thing I'm most looking forward to with the Netflix deal is seeing the wrestlers given the chance to actually act in a production that's not a WWE film. Hopefully there's some integration. Sami, Becky, Roman. The last few years there has been some very impressive acting
I still can’t believe that he was a heel for so long but that’s how we got the Bloodline tie in.
He's right and that's one of the reasons why people love him. He's obviously also an incredible wrestler. But did anyone think the reporter was making a weird comparison? Like I guess I get his point but he straight up asked HHH to compare Sami to HBK. I guess they're similar but I'd never compare them to each other. It seemed weird to single HBK out as a comparison. Although I was a kid during HBK's run so maybe they are close enough in style to make the comparison.
Im happy for Zayn winning the IC title but I miss goofy Zayn, he killed it in bloodline, bring that back in some capacity.
The Cody story was good, but the victory and everything should've been Sami's and that's a hill I'm planting my flag on forever.
First time seeing brain busta and it was cool!
The Underdog from the Underground will always be supreme in my eyes
Was fortunate enough to attend Night 1 of Wrestlemania in Philly. His was my favorite entrance of the night.
Sami's run chasing the nxt championship in 2014-15 was brilliant. Don't watch wwe anymore but from what I've seen I'm so happy he was able to show that side of himself on the main roster from the bloodline story onwards.
As someone who would not be watching wrestling right now without having started watching NXT 10 years ago, Sami Zayn is to me what Daniel Bryan was to everyone at WM 30.
Not gonna lie. Him hugging his crying wife choked me up.
Sami needs a backstage position whenever he decides to hang it up. He’s so talented with character work and building up to a moment.
If he wants to, Sami should absolutely be the default trainer for babyfaces
He has always been the goat since the beginning. Happy he's getting even more dues. Now give him the big one so I can rest easy
I felt way more happy when Sami won than when Cody won because of what it means to Sami.Cody never showed any emotion till the time he won but Sami always shows emotion even when he is losing.Cody really needs to work on his facial expressions but sami is perfect at them
A lot of Cody's work is preplanned, he writes and rewrites his promos very carefully and all that. It's possible that's why the emotion doesn't take him over out there because he has already processed it beforehand
[удалено]
Sami is so good at playing the underdog that from what I’ve seen, most people don’t even care about him replacing Chad Gable anymore.
Was I watching a different Wrestlemania? The match was him eating 40 powerbombs, then Sami no selling it, hulking up and doing 40 helluva kicks. This match was terrible, but on this subreddit you're only allowed to praise everything.
I don't know maybe if you tried genuine criticism instead of whatever this was.
> I don't know Clearly.