20 DUMB WWE Gimmick Changes (That We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS)

Cherished workhorse Sami Zayn laid foundations for his 2021 conspiracy theorist gimmick long before WWE pulled the trigger on it. He brought up the company's treatment of him when managing Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro in 2019, but didn't go full-blown conspiracy nut until he was on his own again.

Collectively, fans wondered if the character had legs, but Zayn knew he could make it work. Amazingly, and to his credit, he did. In fact, Sami showed off the kind of charisma that'd stand him in good stead years later when joining The Bloodline and eventually spinning out into an unlikely babyface singles run.

Droning on about how he was being held back by management helped sow seeds for that moment. Zayn's promos were so passionately produced that it was hard to take your eyes off of him, and he steadily built a groundswell of support on the midcard before skyrocketing up the card towards main events.

There was hidden genius to all that conspiracy stuff, y'know.