7 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw Superstar Shakeup

6. Sami The Geek

sami zayn the miz
WWE.com

Pop quiz: When did Sami Zayn become “neurotic?”

Zayn, who built a following on the independent circuit and made a name for himself in NXT for his never-say-die attitude, has morphed into a goof, constantly walking into rooms at the worst possible time and frustrating management, whether it’s Stephanie McMahon, Mick Foley or Kurt Angle. He’s become increasingly annoying, whiny and self-doubting. True, Sami doubted himself for a time in NXT, but this is far different.

This evolving persona doesn’t really fit him. It feels like it is – as rumored – some form of directive from on high. It’s certainly not making him more likeable. Zayn is such a great performer and has a great character. This recent turn doesn’t seem to resonate, and one would hope that it would melt away and let Sami be Sami again.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.