10 Greatest Long Term WWE Storylines Ever

6. Sami Zayn Reaches The NXT Mountaintop

Sami Zayn NXT debut
WWE.com

You could fairly argue that Sami Zayn's 2014 transformation from perennial big match loser to NXT champion was unimaginative, following so closely as it did fellow underdog Daniel Bryan's rise to prominence, but it was more 2.0 than diminished return. It was a sequel that substituted novelty for logic and design, matching its catharsis on a microlevel.

Zayn's was positioned as the nearly man of NXT since his 2013 debut - a man who was as talented as he was likeable, but one who, as future opponent Adrian Neville put it, "couldn't win the big one".

Zayn lost to Cesaro, Corey Graves and Tyler Breeze in a Kenta Kobashi-esque approach to star creation. The losses he was subjected to weren't designed to bury him underground, but rather catapult him into the stratosphere. When he finally wrested the NXT title away from Neville, at TakeOver: R Evolution following a carefully-engineered redemptive winning streak, it created one of the most heartwarming moments in the history of the developmental league.

The arc worked on a more cerebral - and more immediately fulfilling - level than Bryan's because the promise of catharsis always remained in the audience's grasp.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!