Sami Zayn is one of those wrestlers with a fantastic backstory. There is so much that the current WWE Universe does not know about this wrestler, so I indeed did not have any problems finding some quick facts about Sami. Some of these might surprise you though, so be sure to read my five top facts about Sami Zayn!
1. He Is El Generico?
Okay, this is one of the Sami Zayn facts that drives me up the wall. An indie character called El Generico made some waves in the indies a couple of years ago, and now people believe that wrestler was Sami Zayn. Of course, Sami still denies it until this day, which drives me mad!
I understand that Lucha culture prevents a wrestler from revealing their identity unless they a mask match of course. Still, there are many similarities between El Generico and Sami Zayn, making me 90% convinced he is indeed Sami Zayn. One of those similarities? Zayn appeared on NXT as “El Local”, wearing similar ring attire. He would later reveal himself as Sami Zayn.
Of course, it comes as no surprise to nobody that when Sami Zayn joined NXT, the El Generico character disappeared. Is he hiding somewhere in Mexico? Looking after helpless orphans in Tijuana? Or is he indeed Sami Zayn and making waves in the WWE?
2. He Feuded With Kevin Owens Before Arriving in NXT
The feud between Owens and Zayn in NXT is rivaling that of Gargano and Ciampa. However, it would seem like the pair have faced each other before with a massive feud in Ring of Honor. Before I elaborate on this, I must mention that this fact rests on the assumption that Sami Zayn is El Generico.
The feud started in Ring of Honor in 2009, where Owens attacked his tag team partner El Generico. The feud led to many exciting matches, including a Fight Without Honor and an ROH World Heavyweight Championship match.
3. Savio Vega Trained Zayn
Sami Zayn trained under several good wrestlers, but the most notable one for his career was Savio Vega. The former WWE wrestler taught Zayn the wrestling fundamentals and showed him how to generate a reaction from the crowd. Based on Sami’s characters over the years, it certainly seems like he took the lessons of Vega on board.
4. He Wrestled in 14 Different Countries Before His Time in the WWE
Zayn spent a lot of time in the indies before joining the WWE, and this reflects in the number of countries he has wrestled in. By joining wrestling promotions such as Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla during his indie days, Zayn has fought in Puerto Rico, Japan, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Romania, France, and many more!
5. He Had a Pre-WWE Feud with Cesaro
Before their feud in the WWE’s developmental brand, Cesaro and Sami Zayn faced each other in the indies. The feud did not just include them though, as they were meeting one another as a part of a tag team. At the time, Zayn’s tag team partner was none other than Kevin Steen (Owens).
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