Sami Zayn Appreciation thread.

[Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED!]

Everyone is talking about how great Nakamura was, and no doubt he was fantastic, but in all of it everyone's forgetting the other man in the match: Sami Zayn.

He performed just as well as Nakamura did, and the result was one hell of a match.

Now having witnessed quite possibly his last match in NXT, let's give some appreciation to the man who made NXT what it is today, the man who put NXT on the map Sami Zayn.

[Brickstone Kid]

He's probably my favorite wrestler at the moment and I honestly feel he has the potential to be their next big major babyface/star. Hoping for a long Owens feud after Wrestlemania.

[Bear Skin Rug]

I love when he starting stomping and punching Nakamura out of nowhere. It's crazy how a great babyface can make a moment like that shocking.

[Germansuplex]

I don't have the feeling anyone was forgetting Zayn.

But yeah, he's awesome.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Sami is my dude.

[Prince Petty]

Sami is great. I'd like to see him become the first two time NXT Champion, but it looks like it's not on the cards. What needs to happen now is for him to win the IC Title on Sunday, and be given a real push on the main roster.

He's a pure babyface, in the best possible way. The guy just has that innately likeable quality that makes all the cheesy stuff he says come across as completely sincere and heartfelt. But he can be ruthless and vicious as well, like he was when he finally beat Neville, and again with Nakamura. Just like the best babyfaces (e.g. Bret, Austin, Rock), he's not limited to being a goody two shoes all the time.

[Chiral]

He is like the ideal wrestler I'd daydream about as a kid. In addition to him being generally amazing, it's cool for me to see like a wrestling character like that realized on screen.

[radiantsilvergun]

Feel like he wore him self out too much on the international circuit and NXT before getting his shot on the main WWE stage. Not sure he'll have that same fire on the main roster in the ring as he did during his more...Generic years and his first few years as Zayn. It feels like the end credits to a legendary career rather than a new chapter in the story.



Bryan Danielson said something to the effect of "Once you make it to the WWE, your career as a professional wrestler is over."

[alexwrightspackage]

Apr 2, 2016 16:31:29 GMT -5 Bear Skin Rug said:

I love when he starting stomping and punching Nakamura out of nowhere. It's crazy how a great babyface can make a moment like that shocking.

Hell, even taunting Nakamura with his own taunt was amazing.

Sometimes, a hero is only as good as the villain. Austin had Mr. McMahon elevate him, for example. On the other hand, HHH in his prime murdered everyone he faced, as has John Cena, and their reigns were generally memorable for the wrong reasons. Of course, Sami was no villain, but as Ric Flair was a perfect foil for Sting, Sami did what he could to make Nakamura look good.

As the cliché goes, it takes two to tango.

[Abdullah]

Sami is my favorite wrestler. Maybe even more than The Guy That's Gone Missing.

His theme song makes me so happy.

[tigermaskxxxvii]

I said this in the Nakamura thread and I'll say it here: I loved how during the match, when Sami Irish whipped Shinsuke into the corner and instead of letting him his the turnbuckles and turn himself around and wait a beat or two and attempt the helluva kick, he chased him down to the corner to hit him with the helluva kick. Nice uncharacteristic intensity on Zayn's part and helps put over Nakamura as a threat almost as much as Nakamura's hellacious offense. This was made even better by the camera work. Usually the helluva kick is filmed by either the hard camera or a camera man filming behind Sami. But this time it was filmed from the opposite corner, so we could see Sami's face as he came barreling down on Nakamura like a locomotive.

[kendrickisking]

His selling is off the charts. His half-fall , grab the ropes then collapse spot last night was amazing. It His selling reminded me a lot of Kawada's last night and Kawada was a great seller.

[Reflecto]

Probably the better place to see this since it's about how great Zayn is:

I thought Nakamura/Zayn was great on paper...but not only do I not buy into the "Five star" claims said, I don't even think it was Sami Zayn's best match in NXT.

On paper, the in-ring skill was amazing in this match- but to me, a true FIVE-STAR match can't possibly happen in a vacuum. Storyline and buildup does matter as much as every other piece of the match- and Nakamura/Zayn was an amazing match, but the storyline was basically "You didn't win the number one contendership? Okay- your consolation prize is a match with Shinsuke Nakamura." It was good, it made sense, but I don't know- a dream match for the sake of a dream match doesn't really make a five-star match in my opinion.

As such, I'd say it's only NXT's third-best match ever (behind Sasha/Bayley I and Zayn/Neville), both matches that didn't have it all as far as the match goes, but had a far, far more overreaching storyline building up to them and making them more than "just another match"...which says more about Zayn's own ability than just being "the other guy" who got to be Nakamura's tackling dummy in his first match.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Apr 2, 2016 20:03:36 GMT -5 Reflecto said:

Probably the better place to see this since it's about how great Zayn is:

I thought Nakamura/Zayn was great on paper...but not only do I not buy into the "Five star" claims said, I don't even think it was Sami Zayn's best match in NXT.

On paper, the in-ring skill was amazing in this match- but to me, a true FIVE-STAR match can't possibly happen in a vacuum. Storyline and buildup does matter as much as every other piece of the match- and Nakamura/Zayn was an amazing match, but the storyline was basically "You didn't win the number one contendership? Okay- your consolation prize is a match with Shinsuke Nakamura." It was good, it made sense, but I don't know- a dream match for the sake of a dream match doesn't really make a five-star match in my opinion.

As such, I'd say it's only NXT's third-best match ever (behind Sasha/Bayley I and Zayn/Neville), both matches that didn't have it all as far as the match goes, but had a far, far more overreaching storyline building up to them and making them more than "just another match"...which says more about Zayn's own ability than just being "the other guy" who got to be Nakamura's tackling dummy in his first match.

I wouldn't say it was a consolation prize. More like "it was your hard work and talent that built NXT into what it is now, so we want to reward you with a match against one of the best wrestlers in the world".

[KobashiChop]

He is amazing. Has been one of the best in the company.

Call it cynicism, but I don't trust WWE booking to give him the same respect NXT did. What he has done for NXT has been so important. And also, for proving white meat babyfaces can get that over in this generation

[Big Bad Kahuna]

Well he surely cemented his place as my favorite wrestler currently, even with Styles, Owens, Rollins, Cesaro breathing and alive

I knew he would bring it in Dallas. And damn did he bring it

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I have a sort of begrudging respect for Sami and I usually enjoy his matches, but for some reason something about him just doesn't click with me. He's not a guy I mark for at all, and I'll usually be rooting for his opponent even when I see how good a wrestler he is. Empirically he has skills, he has charisma, he has fan support. I don't understand why I'm not behind him.