On December 11, 2014, Zayn defeated Neville at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution to win the NXT Championship. The celebration was cut short when Kevin Owens attacked him post-match, reigniting their long-standing feud.
At NXT TakeOver: Rival, Owens defeated Zayn after five brutal powerbombs, ending Zayn’s title reign at 62 days. In May 2015, Zayn answered John Cena’s U.S. Championship Open Challenge but fell short in a gutsy effort.
Zayn’s final NXT appearance came at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, where he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in a critically acclaimed bout.
Main Roster Debut and Early WWE Feuds
Sami Zayn officially joined WWE’s main roster in March 2016, teaming with Neville to defeat Kevin Owens and The Miz. Earlier that year, he made a surprise appearance in the 2016 Royal Rumble Match.
In 2020, Zayn aligned with Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. At Elimination Chamber 2020, the trio defeated Braun Strowman in a 3-on-1 handicap match, with Zayn pinning Strowman to win the Intercontinental Championship. However, he was later stripped of the title due to COVID-19 concerns and his decision not to compete during the early stages of the pandemic.
Zayn returned in August 2020, claiming he was still the rightful champion. After attacking Jeff Hardy, Zayn declared himself the “real” Intercontinental Champion. At Clash of Champions 2020, Zayn defeated Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles in a Triple Threat Ladder Match to reclaim the title. He eventually lost the championship to Big E on the December 25 episode of SmackDown, ending his reign at 89 days.
The Conspiracy Gimmick and Renewed Rivalries
In early 2021, Zayn adopted a conspiracy theorist persona, claiming WWE officials were targeting him. He participated in the Royal Rumble on January 31, marking his fourth appearance in the event.
At Elimination Chamber, Zayn was eliminated by longtime rival Kevin Owens. This sparked a renewed feud, with Zayn unsuccessfully trying to convince Owens of the conspiracy. Their conflict culminated at WrestleMania 37, where Owens defeated Zayn.
The rivalry continued through Hell in a Cell 2021, where Zayn scored a victory over Owens. Their final match occurred on the July 2 episode of SmackDown, a Last Man Standing Match to qualify for Money in the Bank, which Owens won.
Later that year, Zayn entered the King of the Ring tournament, defeating Rey Mysterio in the first round but falling to Finn Bálor in the semifinals. He was briefly named to Team SmackDown for Survivor Series, but lost a qualifying match to Jeff Hardy, removing him from the team.
Universal Title Contention and Celebrity Feuds
On the November 26, 2021 episode of SmackDown, Zayn won a battle royal to become the #1 contender for the Universal Championship. However, before his title shot against Roman Reigns, he was attacked by Brock Lesnar, leading to a 15-second loss on December 3.
On December 24, Zayn won a 12-man gauntlet match to earn another shot at the Intercontinental Title. In January 2022, Zayn began a feud with Johnny Knoxville, who had entered the Royal Rumble. Zayn eliminated Knoxville from the Rumble, only to be eliminated by AJ Styles.
On February 11, 2022, Zayn defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the Intercontinental Championship for a third time. Just weeks later, he lost the title to Ricochet after interference from Knoxville. The rivalry ended at WrestleMania 38, where Knoxville—helped by his Jackass co-stars—defeated Zayn in an “Anything Goes” match.
Sami Zayn and The Bloodline Storyline
In April 2022, Zayn began aligning with The Bloodline, the dominant faction led by Roman Reigns. By May 27, he was dubbed the “Honorary Uce” and acted as an unofficial member of the stable.
Over the summer, tensions grew between Zayn and Jey Uso, who didn’t trust him. Despite this, Zayn proved his loyalty during Survivor Series WarGames 2022, helping The Bloodline win and earning Jey’s respect. In January 2023, dissension began building. At RAW XXX, Zayn faced a “Tribal Court” and was found “not guilty for now.” At Royal Rumble 2023, he turned on Reigns after refusing to attack Kevin Owens, leading to a brutal beatdown by The Bloodline—except for Jey, who walked away conflicted.
Zayn challenged Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2023 in his hometown of Montreal but failed to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Tensions climaxed when Jey Uso betrayed Zayn weeks later.
Reunion with Kevin Owens & Tag Team Gold
With help from Cody Rhodes, Zayn and Kevin Owens reconciled in March 2023. At WrestleMania 39 Night 1, the duo defeated The Usos in the main event to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. They held the titles for 154 days, eventually losing to The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest) at Payback on September 2. A rematch on RAW ended in another loss. Soon after, Owens was traded to SmackDown in exchange for Jey Uso, splitting the team.
Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Gold
Following Owens’ departure, Zayn declared his intention to prove himself as a singles star. He began feuding with The Judgment Day, wrestling Drew McIntyre and JD McDonagh in singles bouts.
At Crown Jewel Kickoff, Zayn defeated McDonagh. He later joined Team Rhodes at Survivor Series WarGames, teaming with Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and the returning Randy Orton to defeat The Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre. In the 2024 Royal Rumble, Zayn entered at #30, eliminating Damian Priest before being eliminated by McIntyre.
On March 11, Zayn won a gauntlet match to earn a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship. At WrestleMania XL Night 1, Zayn defeated Gunther, ending his historic 666-day title reign and capturing the Intercontinental Championship for a fourth time.
As a gesture of gratitude, Sami Zayn gave Chad Gable an Intercontinental Title shot on the April 15 episode of Raw, successfully defending it. Gable attacked Zayn afterward, sparking a feud. On April 29, Zayn retained the title against Bronson Reed by disqualification after Gable interfered. The following week, Zayn retaliated by attacking Gable, leading to a Triple Threat match at King and Queen of the Ring on May 25, where Zayn pinned Reed to retain. He later defeated Gable at Clash at the Castle: Scotland on June 15, ending their rivalry.
At Money in the Bank on July 6, Zayn retained against Bron Breakker. He defended the title again on July 15 against Ilja Dragunov, but the match ended in a no contest after Breakker interfered. Zayn’s 119-day reign ended at SummerSlam on August 3 when he lost the title to Breakker. He failed to regain it in a two-out-of-three falls rematch on August 12.
Sami Zayn’s Various Feuds
Zayn challenged Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship on the October 7 episode of Raw but lost via technical submission. At Crown Jewel on November 2, Zayn accidentally kicked Roman Reigns while trying to help him against the new Bloodline. Later, at Survivor Series: WarGames, Zayn teamed with Reigns, CM Punk, and The Usos to defeat the new Bloodline and Bronson Reed.
On December 2, after losing to Seth Rollins and accusing him of attacking Jey Uso, Zayn was ambushed by Drew McIntyre, who later defeated him on December 14. Zayn entered the 2025 Royal Rumble at #27 but was eliminated by Jey Uso.
On February 3, Zayn failed to qualify for the Elimination Chamber after losing to CM Punk and was attacked by Kevin Owens, reigniting their feud. At Elimination Chamber: Toronto on March 1, Zayn lost to Owens in a 5-star rated unsanctioned match. After a brief hiatus, he returned on April 21 to congratulate Jey Uso on winning the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 41.
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