7 Former NXT Wrestlers Who Will Win WWE Gold In 2017

6. Sami Zayn

Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

It really is criminal when you consider how hot Sami Zayn was coming out the Match of the Year candidate he contested with Kevin Owens at WWE Battleground and how he hasn't done much of note since. He was embroiled in a short-lived storyline with Chris Jericho for a few weeks and only just recently entered a program with Braun Strowman that has seen him get destroyed by the big man every week.

While Zayn's character has never needed championship gold to get over with the audience, it's asinine that he isn't already in possession of the United States Championship. It isn't as if Roman Reigns, the new No. 1 contender to the WWE Universal Championship, is defending it at the moment, so why not hand off the star-spangled prize to Zayn and give him a run with it?

In 2017, Zayn's popularity will be too much to ignore, ultimately earning him a reign as champion at some point during the year. It's much likelier that he wins his premiere title on the blue brand than on Raw, but I suppose anything is possible.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.