10 WWE Returns That Were Completely Wasted

Sami Zayn is another star who wasn't exactly pushed in the right direction after he made his highly anticipated return from injury in 2019.

Zayn had injured both of his rotator cuffs and this meant he required double shoulder surgery before he could even think about stepping back in the ring again. So, fans were understandably quite happy to see the former NXT Champion when he finally popped up on the post-'Mania 35 episode of Monday Night Raw, after spending nearly 10 months on the shelf.

Yet, instead of leaning into the swell of support for the returning crowd favourite, WWE decided to let Zayn lose to Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor and then have the star tear into the 'toxic' fanbase that had been cheering him on all night.

Before long, Zayn felt like just another piece of the furniture and after only managing to score one win in 16 singles matches, he eventually moved over to SmackDown to aid IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura as his heelish manager.

If WWE had just pulled the trigger on a face turn during that Raw after 'Mania return, Zayn would've likely felt like a huge deal over the coming months and could have probably gone on to challenge for a top belt in 2019. Yet, he instead spent most of the year being beaten from pillar to post and felt like yet another whiney, stale WWE heel mere weeks removed from his rousing re-emergence.

Thankfully, his most recent comeback has already been a marked improvement on that 2019 return, so here's hoping he walks out of Clash of Champions as the new IC Champion!