8 WWE Stars With The Best Character Arcs Right Now
5. Sami Zayn
Similar to Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn is one of the elite few NXT call-ups that was pretty established almost immediately upon his arrival on WWE's main roster. He didn't receive any vignettes leading up to his debut and he didn't need to, since giving him a microphone in front of a live audience was all that was necessary in getting him over with the audience.
For nearly three years, Zayn's primary goal in NXT was to become the NXT champion. And once he accomplished that, he set a bigger goal for himself: avenging the loss of the gold to his ally-turned-enemy Kevin Owens. As noted, they had been embroiled in a ruthless rivalry for well over a year and a half, trading victories at TakeOver, Payback and on Raw.
As a result, Owens has essentially been the bane of Zayn's existence. He officially got called up to the main stage earlier this year, and he hasn't been able to further his career because of him. Zayn failed to win the Intercontinental Championship as well as the Money in the Bank briefcase as a result of Owens' interference.
Beyond that program, it should be his will to succeed that keeps his motivated toward becoming a champion in WWE. He is The Underdog from the Underground after all.