10 Wrestlers Who Are In The Wrong Company

1. Sami Zayn

Tetsuya Naito NXT
WWE.com

Shouldn't be in WWE because...

He's too good for WWE in every conceivable respect. He returned to and stole the post-WrestleMania RAW with an intriguing new gimmick, which was swiftly dropped. He devolved into an abject jobber amid the chaotic Wild Card Era, and tellingly, he hasn't profited much from the recent, much-needed changes; his association with Shinsuke Nakamura feels like a halfhearted experiment, and it isn't connecting. He is instructed to go out there and act likr an annoying fly because that's how WWE perceives this keen perfectionist. His charity efforts aren't in line with corporate values. He has been forbidden from earning the biggest payday on the calendar as a result of his ethnicity.

Should be in AEW because...

He is a superb worker who has shown a polymath ability to shine within the episodic TV format. Excellent on the mic and between the ropes, as a grating heel and house afire babyface, there are few performers better equipped to manage AEW's drive of encouraging its talent to operate within shades of grey. Sadly, per Fightful, Zayn is tied to WWE until 2021.

It is literally a case of wrong place, wrong time for one of North America's most diverse and electrifying talents.

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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!