Sami Zayn's 10 Best Matches, According To Dave Meltzer
The WWE Universe knows Sami Zayn as a former NXT Champion, a three-time Intercontinental Champion, and an honorary Uce of The Bloodline, but only hardcore fans who have been following his career over the years would know his accomplishments outside the company.
He's been in the pro wrestling business for two decades and rose to prominence with his masked El Generico character. He has held multiple high-profile championships across various promotions before making his way to WWE.
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Sami Zayn has competed against the best talent in the industry and put on scintillating performances all over the globe. With that said, let's take a look at the 10 best matches of Sami Zayn's career as ranked by Dave Meltzer.
10 Money In The Bank Ladder Match (MITB 2016) - 4.25
First on the list is the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder match, in which Sami Zayn competed against Dean Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, and Kevin Owens.
Zayn qualified for the ladder match after defeating Sheamus on the May 23, 2016, episode of Raw, and it was his first appearance in the high-profile contest.
The Underdog from the Underground looked to cement his place in the main event scene by winning the high stakes match, but after a hard-fought 21:38 minutes, which saw tons of high-risk maneuvers and brutal spots, Dean Ambrose climbed the ladder to retrieve the contract and win the match.
9 AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Sami Zayn (Clash Of Champions 2020) - 4.25
After retaining the Intercontinental Championship against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36, Sami Zayn refrained from competing in WWE due to the pandemic. It led to WWE stripping him of the title and crowning Jeff Hardy as the new champion.
However, Sami Zayn returned with his Intercontinental Championship and confronted Jeff Hardy on the August 28, 2020, episode of SmackDown, leading to a match to crown the Undisputed Champion at Clash of Champions 2020.
It was a triple threat ladder match involving AJ Styles and had many risky spots. Zayn took some damage by getting bounced off the ladder and taking a Swanton Bomb from Hardy, but he used two pairs of handcuffs to lock down his opponents before climbing the ladder to retrieve both Intercontinental title belts.
8 Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn (NXT Arrival 2014) - 4.25
Sami Zayn and Cesaro had a series of matches together during the former's early days in NXT. While Zayn defeated Cesaro in their first encounter, the Swiss Superman was victorious in their second and third bouts.
A year later, Sami Zayn revealed he was still obsessing over his loss against Cesaro and challenged him to another match at the NXT Arrival event in February 2014.
They put on a classic performance at the event that lasted 22:55 minutes. After a series of back-and-forth action, Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick on Cesaro for a near fall.
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Then Zayn took some punishment by taking several European Uppercuts from Cesaro, and when the latter looked to hit the Neutralizer, Zayn reversed it into a sunset powerbomb for another near fall. In the end, Cesaro delivered the Neutralizer on Zayn to pick up the win.
7 El Generico vs. Kevin Steen (ROH Final Battle 2010) - 4.25
During their time as El Generico and Kevin Steen in Ring of Honor, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens had a year-long feud that culminated at the 2010 Final Battle event.
It was an unsanctioned fight without honor bout, in which Zayn put his mask on the line while Owens wagered his Ring of Honor career. They competed in the main event of the show and battled it out for an impressive 31:10 minutes.
The match had brutal spots, including Zayn sending Owens through a table placed on top of a ladder wedged between the apron and the barricade and Owens delivering a package piledriver on Zayn through a chair.
In the end, despite the interference from Steve Corino, Zayn picked up the victory by hitting Owens in the skull with a steel chair.
6 Money In The Bank Ladder (MITB 2017) - 4.50
Following his failed attempt in the 2016 MITB ladder match, Sami Zayn looked to redeem himself after WWE announced him as a participant in the 2017 men's MITB ladder match alongside AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
It was the main event of the PPV, and Zayn looked to make amends for his loss the previous year by becoming the new Mr. MITB. Zayn almost got his hand on the briefcase while battling Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles from the top of a ladder but chose to deliver a super powerbomb on Ziggler off the ladder instead.
In the end, it was Baron Corbin who scaled the ladder and retrieved the contract to win the match.
5 Neville vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd (NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way) - 4.50
Sami Zayn entered the NXT Championship picture in 2014 when he challenged champion Neville along with Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd, and Neville agreed to defend the title against all three challengers at the NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way event.
During the match, Zayn took a swinging fisherman's neckbreaker from Tyson Kidd, a Beauty Shot from Breeze, and a Shooting Star Press from Neville and managed to survive on all occasions.
Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick on Kidd, but Neville pulled the referee out of the ring as he went for the pin. In the end, Neville performed a Red Arrow on Kid to win the match.
4 Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. The Miz (Extreme Rules 2016) - 4.50
After failing to win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32 and suffering a defeat at the hands of Kevin Owens at Payback, Sami Zayn had to struggle his way back into the Intercontinental title picture.
He received a shot at the title in a fatal-four-way match at the 2016 Extreme Rules PPV against Champion The Miz, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro. Zayn was fired up right from the beginning and performed a Helluva Kick on Owens straight away after the bell rang.
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As the match progressed, Zayn concentrated more on Owens, resulting in The Miz stealing the pin over Cesaro to retain the title.
3 Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Battleground 2016) - 4.50
Following the 2016 Money in the Bank PPV, Sami Zayn continued his feud against Kevin Owens, leading to a match between the two at the 2016 Battleground PPV.
At the event, the two superstars competed in the longest match of the night by battling each other for an impressive 18:22 minutes. Both wrestlers inflicted severe punishment on each other and had several near falls.
During the closing moments, Owens delivered a pop-up powerbomb on Zayn, but the latter placed his foot on the ropes to stop the pin. In the end, Zayn performed two Helluva Kicks on Owens to win the match.
2 Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) - 4.50
Sami Zayn found himself facing the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura at the NXT TakeOver: Dallas event in April 2016. The fans had high expectations for the match as they were excited to see Nakamura perform in a WWE ring for the first time.
At the event, Nakamura and Zayn put on a critically-acclaimed performance and battled each other for 20:07 minutes. Zayn managed to escape a Kinshasa attempt to deliver a Blue Thunder Bomb on Nakamura for a near fall.
In the end, Nakamura managed to counter an exploder suplex by Zayn into a Kinshasa off the middle rope and hit the move a second time on Zayn to win the match.
1 Neville vs. Sami Zayn (NXT TakeOver: R Evolution) - 4.75
After preventing Sami Zayn from winning the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way and manipulating him to pick up the victory on the November 13, 2014, episode of NXT, Neville had to give Zayn one final shot at the title at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.
With the added stipulation that he had to leave NXT if he lost, Sami Zayn battled Neville in a back-and-forth contest for 23:18 minutes. To finish off the match, Zayn executed an exploder suplex into the turnbuckles along with a Helluva Kick on Neville to capture the NXT Championship.
