Formerly known as the masked indie wrestler El Generico, Sami Zayn signed to WWE in 2013, where he debuted on NXT as an underdog babyface. In the years since, Zayn’s captured the NXT Championship, moved on to the main roster, turned heel, did a bit of managerial work for Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, and held the Intercontinental Championship three times.
He’s also engaged in a number of feuds during his time with WWE, both as a heel and a babyface and running the gamut from regrettable to all-time great. Let’s take a look at Sami Zayn’s biggest rivalries, starting with the worst ones.
10 Bobby Lashley
In 2018, Bobby Lashley returned to WWE after a decade away, and was first presented as a babyface with so little personality that his finishing move was a vertical suplex. Sami Zayn was an obnoxious heel, so it seemed like a slam dunk to have Bobby Lashley beat up Zayn for targeting aspects of Lashley’s life like his family and time in the military. Fans best remember this feud for the reviled “Bobby Lashley’s sisters” segment, where Zayn brings out a bunch of muscular men in drag — including future AEW star Max Caster.
9 Daniel Bryan
El Generico and Bryan Danielson had several run-ins on the indies in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor, so a WrestleMania feud between Sami Zan and Daniel Bryan for the Intercontinental Championship in a rivalry that also included Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew Gulak seemed like catnip for the die-hard fans. Despite all the talent involved, the feud proved a shocking disappointment, with the ultimately silly and brief Zayn/Bryan WrestleMania 36 match being a particular lowlight. In the end, Zayn would retain the belt be stripped of it due to not wanting to wrestle during the COVID pandemic.
8 Braun Strowman
In 2016, Sami Zayn was still a babyface when he got into a feud with Braun Strowman that hinged on Zayn’s underdog nature and desire to stand up against “The Monster Among Men.” Zayn would beg for opportunities from Raw boss Mick Foley, eventually scoring a match at Roadblock where all Zayn had to do was last 10 minutes against Strowman.
He succeeded, only to lose a Last Man Standing match to Strowman on an early January 2017 episode of Raw. While Zayn’s big heart going up against Strowman’s big everything sounded great on paper, this feud didn’t really do either man any favors.
7 Jeff Hardy
Following his being stripped of the Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn returned to WWE television about half a year after disappearing, going after the current Intercontinental Champion, Jeff Hardy, claiming that he was the “real” champion as he never actually lost the title in a match. It was standard stuff from that perspective, but the payoff was great, as Hardy, Zayn, and AJ Styles competed in a three-way ladder match for the IC Strap at Clash of Champions. Zayn not only managed to win back the belt, but also put on one of his best matches in years.
6 Bo Dallas
Sami Zayn’s feud with delusional heel and NXT Champion Bo Dallas isn’t his best rivalry in developmental, but it definitely offered some great moments. Zayn drew Dallas’ ire after the pair lost a tag match, and ended up banning Zayn from challenging him for the NXT Title. In response Zayn put on a very Generico-like mask and beat Bo Dallas in an open challenge, earning his title shot. Zayn was unsuccessful, but got the last laugh. After being banished from NXT, Dallas tried to return under a mask as “Mr. NXT,” but ended up having his identity revealed by Zayn.
5 Shane McMahon
Sami Zayn’s heel turn happened at Hell in a Cell 2017 when he helped Kevin Owens defeat Shane McMahon in the eponymous cage match. Zayn and Owens, having spent the past few years in WWE as bitter rivals, made for a hilariously obnoxious duo as they feuded with Shane McMahon in tandem. This would pay off tremendously at WrestleMania 34 as Daniel Bryan came out of retirement to help Shane McMahon defeat Owens and Zayn in a fun tag team match.
4 Adrian Neville
After putting on several classics with Cesaro after debuting, it was clear that Sami Zayn was the protagonist on the men’s side of NXT, an underdog protagonist with as much in-ring skill as he had heart. After failing to beat Bo Dallas for the NXT Title, he went after it again, this time against fellow babyface Adrian Neville (a.k.a. PAC).
Zayn’s pure babyface nature was the focus of the story, as the increasingly opportunistic Neville questioned Sami’s ability to get the job done without getting his hands dirty. It was a great narrative for a hero like Sami Zayn, who did manage to defeat Neville, and without cheating to boot.
3 Cesaro
Sami Zayn’s first day on the job saw him running afoul of the heel Cesaro and scoring a surprise win over the main roster WWE star. This kicked off a full-on rivalry between the two, leading to the landmark 2/3 falls match that delivered not only a standout performance, but establishing the ultimate stipulation to end NXT feuds. Zayn lost the match, but wanted Cesaro’s respect, so they ran it back one last time on NXT’s first live special ArRIVAL, putting on yet another classic.
2 Johnny Knoxville
These days, the heel version of Sami Zayn is more about the character and storyline than five-star matches, but thankfully Zayn excels at the character stuff as much as he does in the ring. In 2022, Zayn got into a rivalry with Jackass star Johnny Knoxville, which escalated to an entertaining prank war outside of the ring and finally an actual match at WrestleMania 38. The Zayn/Knoxville ‘Mania match is pure shenanigans and spectacle, with lots of prop comedy and run-ins from the cast of Jackass.
1 Kevin Owens
The most important rivalry of Sami Zayn’s entire career is with Kevin Owens, going back to their days on the indies when Owens was known as Kevin Steen. In WWE, it was Kevin Owens who ruined Zayn’s post-match celebration after winning the NXT Championship, and taking their rivalry to a wider audience. Their enmity continued once both were on the main roster, with intensely emotional encounters like their match at Battleground 2016. As friends, they’re always a heartbeat away from a betrayal and subsequent blood feud, and their ensuing encounters have rarely, if ever, disappointed.