Try this on: Sami Zayn the manager
Sounds like a cool role, right? With any luck, it’ll come to pass.
Sami Zayn is one of the best WWE superstars on the mic. He’s witty, smart, and entertaining. Even when we’re booing him, we’re enjoying him. He’s got everything a wrestler needs except the body, but that’s not a necessity given his charisma.
But he’s also been suffering from a shoulder injury and has only recently been cleared to wrestle. Injuries happen in physical sports, and professional wrestling is no different. The thing here is it may easier for someone to slide into another role than it is to become a sports coach. The reason is professional wrestling is scripted (afar cry from being fake, by the way. If you doubt that, step into a ring.) It allows the talent tomove around for storyline purposes than not. The hitch is can the talent pull it off and will the fans enjoy it?
The Zayn Family
Seriously, given he’s already got a very talented Shinsuke Nakamura with him lock, stock, and barrel, and is looking toad to his growing stable, why can’t he be the next Bobby Heenan?
While no one will ever replace the late, great Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Sami Zayn has the ability to be one of the greatest managers character-wise. He’s already on par with Bobby Heenan’s slapstick (his instigating Matt Riddle and Keith Lee of NXT, then his reaction when the Fiend attacked Daniel Bryan were classic Bobby Heenan and Sami Zayn), he just needs to further carve out his own niche personality-wise.
Will he want to?
This is the question. WWE creative can want to move him around all they want, but is he willing to go this route?
Vince McMahon has a history of telling wrestlers they’re not a draw anymore and putting them as announcers or other roles (Macho Man Randy Savage, anyone?), but if Sami Zayn’s heart is in it, he can become a force.
I have to admit, I’d love to see this happen. I miss the days of managers like Bobby Heenan, Classy Freddie Blassie, Mr. Fuji, Paul Ellering, Jimmy Hart, Sunny, and more.
They added a depth to the wrestlers they managed that isn’t easy to replicate otherwise. They served as tutors, trainers, and even bookers to some extent.
It’s part of a bygone era that is sorely missed and has been coming back slowly with valets and tag partners at ringside, but it needs a legitimate leader to step forward and take the reigns, and Sami Zayn could be the one.
In a system that looks to produce the next big draw constantly, how about producing the next big boss instead? Just think of how much help that could be to the other talent. Maybe we just need on to legitimately be a manager.
Step on up, Sami Zayn the Manager, and make us proud.
