Sami Zayn is one of the most popular stars in the industry. The addition of comical elements to his character and in-ring antics makes him all the more entertaining. His partnership with Kevin Owens enhances their dynamic as a tag team.
Zayn and Owens were good friends prior to their WWE tenures. They were associated with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in 2004, which is where the duo started working together. At the time, Zayn used his El Generico gimmick, donning a mask and a cape. As he progressed to Chikara a year later, the 39-year-old met The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and other prominent names from the independent circuit.
It is not uncommon for superstars to cross paths with many names from smaller independent promotions before making it big. Recently, a clip surfaced where Sami Zayn was spotted on an episode of The Young Bucks' YouTube show, Being The Elite. The Young Bucks were conversing as Zayn walked by and asked them for the time.
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Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are currently a part of the RAW roster and have been vying to regain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles from The Judgment Day ever since their loss at Payback 2023.
Sami Zayn did his best to hide his identity as El Generico
The Canadian star ran a masked gimmick on the independent circuit inspired by iconic luchadors like El Santo. Zayn always did his best to hide his identity and went to incredible lengths to do so. It is reported that the gimmick could not be brought to WWE due to trademark restrictions, thus unmasking El Generico for good.
Speaking on Out of Character, Zayn described what it was like wrestling under the mask:
"When I would wear a mask, there were times that the mask was tied too tight. You would see a tiny bit of my hair in the back and when I would see that on screen, it would drive me crazy. It’s almost like if you saw little human fingers sticking out of R2-D2. You’re like, ‘Oh, there’s a little guy there. That’s not a robot!’ It takes you out of it." [H/T TJR Wrestling]
Zayn has come a long way in his nearly two-decade wrestling career. He signed with WWE in 2013 and kickstarted a profound career on NXT before marking his legacy on the main roster. Last year, he was a part of The Bloodline and earned the nickname Honorary Uce, a designation he took very seriously.
