3 WWE Superstars who won't be a part of Elimination Chamber 2022 for controversial reasons 

#2 Sami Zayn

Another superstar who has never traveled to the sands of Saudi Arabia for WWE is the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, Sami Zayn.

Sami's case is fairly clear next to Baszler's. The reason he's never made the trip and likely never will is due to Zayn's Syrian roots. The Saudi kingdom has maintained a strained relationship with Syria since the Syrian Civil War in 2012.

When WWE's partnership with Saudi Arabia began back in 2018, they announced the following regarding Zayn before The Greatest Royal Rumble:

"WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world," WWE said in a statement released after the decision was made to keep Zayn off The Greatest Royal Rumble.

Zayn is currently one of the most heavily featured superstars on WWE programming, but he is definitely going to miss Elimination Chamber.

This is likely the reason Shinsuke Nakamura will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Zayn on the SmackDown before the big show rather than holding a traditional title defense at the Premium Live Event.

This shouldn't affect Zayn's role on WWE programming, however, as he will continue his feud with Nakamura for the next two weeks, which will be followed by whatever WWE has planned for him after they return from Elimination Chamber.