10 Things We Learned From The Post-WrestleMania WWE Raw

6. Save Sami

WWE Raw Kurt Angle
WWE.com

The 'superstar shake-up' (more on that later) set to follow next week couldn't come at a better time for several performers on the Raw and Smackdown Live! rosters, and if anyone is most in need of the scenery change, it's Sami Zayn.

Cast as a rabbiting buffoon for weeks now, an originally cute segment with him planning a battle alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins has frustratingly become his actual gimmick, and yet again sees WWE creative casting a beloved babyface as a complete idiot.

The pattern here (as showing with Enzo & Cass and even Bayley) is that fans will feel an unfamiliar disconnect to the character, and if the deep-rooted love is severed, it becomes very hard to rebuild the bond.

Despite little artistic differences on paper when considering a switch from Raw to Smackdown, it can be amazing what a change in the colour of the ropes can really do for a performer.

There have been countless examples of careers reborn thanks to a new crop of talent to work with on the different day of the week.

Kept away from authority figures and allowed to flourish in Smackdown Live!'s curiously believable 'land of opportunity', Zayn may finally be able to find footing again.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett