18 Ups & 15 Downs For WWE In 2023
2. Sami’s Journey
Zayn’s voyage saw him go from a gaslit lackey, desperate to be accepted, to a conflicted and pressured man who became a full-blown rebel. It was a tremendous piece of storytelling that breathed new life into the Bloodline as an entity and as a storyline, fueling months of incredible programming. The Trial of Sami Zayn alone will go down as one of the best segments on television this year.
That says nothing about Sami finally pushed to his breaking point by Roman Reigns, choosing his battered best friend Kevin Owens and pasting the Tribal Chief with a steel chair at the Royal Rumble. Then there was his hometown hero’s performance at Elimination Chamber, trying to unseat Reigns. And finally, it was KO and Sami teaming up to topple the Usos and pry the tag titles off them to close out the first night of WrestleMania 39.
Even what came after Mania – Zayn and Owens defending the titles and contending with a repentant Jey Uso, and Sami coming to terms with being a solo act again to close out the year – was a great piece of business and showed the growth that Sami’s character had undergone throughout this process.
The only way Zayn’s 2023 could have gone better was if he had captured the world title.