5 Reasons why Sami Zayn won the Intercontinental Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber 2020

Sami Zayn has done it. The 3-on-1 handicap stipulation that Braun Strowman found himself in always seemed to be one that would end up costing him the title and that's exactly what happened.

Sami Zayn got the pin after hitting a Helluva Kick from a suplex position. The victory marked 1,853 days since Sami Zayn last won a title - a little over five years ago. What makes it more interesting is that he could be the Champion walking into WWE WrestleMania 36 and that appears to be the direction.

So why did Sami Zayn win the Championship over Shinsuke Nakamura or Cesaro? There are a few reasons why and here are some of them:

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#5. His first singles title on the main roster

Long overdue

It's quite shocking that Sami Zayn took four years to win his first singles title since debuting on WWE's "main roster". He was the heart and soul of NXT during his run there, having a great story culminating in an NXT Championship run.

However, his run on RAW and SmackDown has been a different story altogether - constantly being underutilized after the first 5-6 months of his main roster run. He challenged for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32 and over a month later at Extreme Rules - facing The Miz, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens in an instant classic.

While he was out with an injury for a long time between 2018-2019, his run never materialized to its full potential, both as a heel and a babyface. It feels long overdue that he won his first singles title and interesting, he defeated another man who won his first singles title just over a month ago.

Sami Zayn became one of the few men to have a pinfall over Braun Strowman.

#4. Shinsuke Nakamura already won it while Cesaro was never an option

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura has had multiple title reigns with the United States Championship and over a month ago, a long Intercontinental Championship reign of his ended. The sad reality is that he never gained any momentum as a Champion and was always treated as an afterthought - even with Sami Zayn as his manager.

Since it was a 3-on-1 match for the title, the idea is that the person who pins the Champion ends up as the titleholder. Right after hitting the suplex into a Helluva Kick, both Cesaro and Nakamura rolled out, letting Zayn get the pin.

In reality, it was an obvious decision to go with. WWE has established that they don't see much in Cesaro outside being a tag team wrestler, while there isn't much incentive putting the title on Nakamura.

Sami Zayn was the best choice to go with and given that he hasn't been wrestling for quite a few months now, it adds another element to the story.

#3. A babyface turn

Is a turn coming?

Sami Zayn made his name in WWE as being a babyface. When he was in NXT, he was the biggest face in the brand and his story with Kevin Owens only added to it. That translated well at first when he came to RAW but it only took a year and a half before things changed on SmackDown.

During the Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon Hell in a Cell match in 2017, Sami Zayn pulled Kevin Owens away from getting an elbow drop from the top of the cell, cementing his heel turn. It's been over two years since then and Zayn has spent the last few months being an obnoxious heel manager.

There's still less than a month left and if the right story is told, Sami Zayn could turn face again. All it takes is for Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura to turn on him and we can imagine that happening. Hopefully, it means a legitimate push for Sami Zayn and not one that will last for a month.

#2. To set-up a Fatal-4-way at WrestleMania 36

Does a Fatal-4-way make sense for the grandest stage of them all?

WrestleMania has always been an event where the company tries to get every superstar possible on the card. Unless they're injured or are held back for creative reasons, battle royales and multi-person matches are usually the way of getting as many names on the card.

That's why in the last few years we've seen multi-man tag team title matches, United States title matches, Intercontinental title matches and more. Given that WrestleMania is also the time that they have nothing creatively for Braun Strowman, it likely makes sense for them to put him in a match that isn't very important in the bigger picture.

Moreover, his presence would add to the match and he doesn't need to be pinned to lose, so it doesn't harm him. Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Cesaro vs Braun Strowman certainly isn't a bad match on paper and could be a fun one if given the right time. WWE usually does a great job with Fatal-4-Way matches.

#1. Long-term story to transition him back to full-time wrestling

Was Sami Zayn being wasted in his managerial role?

Sami Zayn is a great babyface, a great heel, and is a great talker regardless of his character. He's a fairly all-round performer but perhaps his look or size could be a factor in holding him back. Or, certain people high-up in the office don't see the star potential in him - but it's there.

After losing a few matches upon his return, Sami Zayn would eventually transition to SmackDown, where he managed Shinsuke Nakamura and more recently, Cesaro. He spent roughly half a year in this managerial role without getting in the ring and that was deemed to be a major underutilization of his talent by fans.

WON reported quite a few months ago that the story was to eventually have a split between Sami Zayn and Nakamura and the entire angle seems to be a long-term story to transition him back in the ring.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and it'll be exciting to see him returning as a proper in-ring performer.