Early Wrestling Career
Rami Sebei was born on July 12, 1984, in Quebec, Canada. He is the son of Syrian immigrants who moved to Canada in the 1970s. He is trilingual, speaking French, Arabic, and English.
Sebei made his pro wrestling debut on March 1, 2002, for an independent promotion in Quebec. A few months after his debut, Sebei donned a luchador mask and began going by the ring name El Generico. He competed across the independent circuit in Canada and the US, making a name for himself in Ring of Honor and PWG.
During his indie career, Generico formed a tag team with Kevin Steen. The two became real-life best friends and would be incredibly impactful on each other’s careers in the coming decades.
NXT Tenure
In January 2013, Rami Sebei signed a contract with WWE. He made his televised debut for NXT on May 22, 2013, under the ring name Sami Zayn. He quickly became one of the most popular babyfaces on the brand. He formed an unlikely friendship with Neville (now known as PAC), but the friendship turned sour when Neville betrayed Sami in order to retain his NXT Championship.
At NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, Sami defeated Neville to become the NXT Champion. His old friend Kevin Owens came to the ring, seemingly to congratulate Sami, only to turn heel and powerbomb Sami onto the ring apron. At NXT TakeOver: Rival, Kevin defeated Sami for the NXT Championship.
Main Roster Debut
Sami Zayn made his main roster debut on May 4, 2015, by answering John Cena’s weekly open challenge for the United States Championship. Though Zayn was unsuccessful in his match, he earned immense support from the crowd.
At Hell in a Cell 2017, Sami Zayn turned heel for the first time in his WWE career by coming to the aid of his old friend and rival, Kevin Owens. The two of them competed as a tag team for the next year, feuding with stars like Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, and Shinsuke Nakamura. The tag team fell apart when Kevin Owens turned babyface in mid-2019.
The Conspiracy Theorist
On August 20, 2019, Sami joined forces with Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Cesaro joined the duo a few weeks later, forming a trio dubbed The Artist Collective.
At Elimination Chamber 2019, Zayn pinned Braun Strowman to become Intercontinental Champion himself. However, he had to relinquish the title after refusing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing his first reign to an end at 65 days.
At Clash of Champions on September 27, 2020, Sami regained the Intercontinental Championship in a triple-threat ladder match against AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy. He held the title for 89 days before dropping it to Big E on the December 25 episode of Smackdown.
Honorary Uce
In April 2022, Sami began seeking a friendship with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. Over time, Roman began to like having Sami around and he was more or less welcomed into the group. Jey Uso, though, was vehemently against Sami’s inclusion until Zayn proved his loyalty at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 26, 2022.
At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Sami refused to join The Bloodline in their beatdown of Kevin Owens. He instead hit Roman Reigns with a steel chair, turning babyface for the first time since 2017.
Sami and Kevin formally reunited after some mediation from Cody Rhodes. They went on to defeat The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 39.
