10 Things You Miss About NXT Wrestlers On WWE's Main Roster

2. Sami Zayn's Sense Of Purpose

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WWE.com

Sami Zayn's career mirrors Bayley's in a number of ways. Both are traditional, 'honour and integrity' style babyfaces who benefited from excellent underdog stories in NXT, but have floundered on the main roster. Bayley's probably had it worse, but Sami isn't in a great place himself, and much of this comes from his lack of purpose.

NXT's Sami Zayn was one of the most driven men in the world. He desperately wanted to become champion, but was constantly told he wasn't good enough by those around him, even Neville, his supposed friend. This only increased his determination, and eventually spurred him onto his ultimate triumph at TakeOver R Evolution, when he finally reached the mountaintop.

Even when Sami was injured and forced off television for several months, he came back full of fire. He was hell-bent on recovering his lost belt, and kept his head held high all the way up to his "farewell" match with Shinsuke Nakamura. He possessed all the old "white meat" babyface traits, but he was fiery and ambitious too, making him a truly three-dimensional hero.

Now, he's portrayed as an over-exuberant dork who is an annoyance to his peers, and has never enjoyed a consistent main roster push. A shambolic state of affairs for a potentially huge babyface commodity.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.