Why Sami Zayn is too injury prone for long-term WWE success

When he defeated Adrian Neville at NXT TakeOver: R-EVOLUTION in December 2014 to win the NXT Championship, Sami Zayn had seemingly done it all.

One of the first successful faces in NXT's rise from a developmental arena into a legitimate brand, Zayn's skank-happy, flat-cap, pure-hearted character was one that many fans could relate to - with a catalogue of in-ring clinics like the victory over Neville as well as an impressive win against Cesaro. At one point, Zayn was the talk of the town. Regarded as the "Heart and Soul of NXT", 2015 was primed to be his year on the main roster.

He enjoyed a memorable debut on Raw in May that year, thanks to an introduction in his hometown Montreal by fellow Canadian WWE legend Bret Hart and a formidable opponent in 16-time world champion John Cena. At the time, Cena used his United States Championship reign to put over upcoming wrestlers by way of open title challenges.

Shoulder injuries stifling Zayn's progress

However, a shoulder injury sustained before that bout cut short any main roster plans Creative might have had in store for him, as he'd be sidelined for seven months. The injury also prevented his NXT feud with long-time rival Kevin Owens from advancing further.

His return in December that year sparked a more notable stint, capped off with a proper send-off during a match with Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas, which was heralded by many as a Match of the Year candidate.

As for 2016, it was mainly defined by regular battles with Owens as the pair had notable matches at Payback and Battleground that year. There was also a feud with Braun Strowman, which made sense, him being the underdog and all.

The pair - despite currently being tag partners - have enjoyed fierce battles in recent years

Granted, he ran through the underdog phase and a heel turn saw him reunite with Owens, which was exactly what he needed. For some time, the pairing of Owens/Zayn wreaked havoc with SmackDown Live the perfect platform to show what they could do as collective heels.

Although that spell didn't last long enough, as Zayn found himself on Raw after being "fired" from SmackDown. A bland feud with Bobby Lashley ended at Money in the Bank, where it was announced afterwards that he'd again be sidelined due to another shoulder issue.

What's next in store for him?

His return will not be for a while yet and Owens (knee) is expected to return before him. There's a feeling the WWE could wait for both to recover fully, so they can continue their tag-team angle and return as faces to get revenge on Lashley. After all, he has taken credit for their respective injuries. Lashley's manager Lio Rush could also get involved to prompt a tag match, but Bobby's role as Intercontinental Champion means that route is highly unlikely.

This is where things get tricky with Zayn and creative plans - can they rely on him not to get injured at this point? With troublesome shoulder issues in recent years, it makes you wonder how much longer he can realistically continue for. Good for the moment, Zayn is ultimately not reliable enough for the WWE long-term. He's yet to win a single title on the main roster and despite being a contender for various belts, hasn't had one reign to date.

Are the company doing this because they're aware he's just too injury-prone? He'll be 35 later this year and with his latest injury setback, revealed he doesn't miss wrestling. Perhaps he'll prove us wrong, but that remains to be seen. We're aware of his in-ring capabilities when healthy, so there's no reason why he cannot capture ultimate gold one day in future.