50 Best Wrestlers Of The 2020s (So Far)
19. Sami Zayn
Few performers have evolved so seamlessly within a system that never looked built for them more than Sami Zayn. Fewer still have done so much and meant so much for this long.
Already a forever cult favourite by the time the decade began, Zayn has morphed into one of WWE’s most important and consistent figures. His run as the paranoid conspiracy theorist during the ThunderDome era showcased his comedic instincts and unending excellence on the microphone, but it was his pivotal role in The Bloodline saga that cemented his place in WWE’s modern pantheon. By 2022 and 2023, Zayn was the emotional engine behind WWE’s biggest storyline. His gradual alignment with group and eventual explosive separation from Roman Reigns provided the kind of long-form storytelling rarely seen in WWE. It peaked with a white-hot showdown with 'The Tribal Chief' in his hometown of Montreal at Elimination Chamber 2023. He didn’t win, but he didn’t need to - the crowd, the reaction, the moment all confirmed what many had known for years: Sami Zayn is a WWE main eventer.
Since then, Zayn has continued to deliver on all fronts. A critically acclaimed WrestleMania Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther in 2024 was in the conversation for match of the year, and follow-up feuds with Chad Gable and Bron Breakker saw him leave them both better than he found them. Even as part of WWE’s evolving ensemble, he always stands out - when The Bloodline reunited as babyfaces for WarGames Zayn was once again the moral core.
A heel turn seems to beckon for the second half of the decade, but what once felt like the last act of botched booking now scans as an exciting new frontier. A WWE World Championship run seems - at long last - certain too.