4 Things that may happen when Sami Zayn finally turns heel in WWE

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#4. Sami Zayn turning heel could come as a shock.

WWE’s creative team has been repeatedly criticised for its predictable booking, and a pivotal moment, such as a heel turn for a star like Sami Zayn, could restore fans’ faith in the company’s creative department. This is also thanks to Zayn’s reported involvement in his character’s direction, as he has been known to give suggestions to the creative team and has even requested that his character go a certain way, guided by crowd reactions to his work.

If they take the risk, Zayn could organically become a heel, and his long babyface run will come to an end, leading to a new era of mind games and scheming that he is capable of.

#3. He could act as a counterpoint to Cody Rhodes’ babyface Champion

An all-out heel turn would help WWE audiences get invested in a feud between Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn as the babyface vs the heel. It would be even more interesting to see if people continue to boo Zayn after he turns heel or if they cheer for him instead, as they did for Randy Orton after his full-blown heel turn on Rhodes before WrestleMania 42, which garnered him cheers instead of boos.

Or, as Zayn did with his attack on Trick Williams as the Gingerbread man mascot recently, he can get a good amount of heat from the crowd. If he fails in his WWE Championship pursuit against Rhodes, he can elevate other talents in the mid-card with his heel persona by helping put babyfaces over.

#2. Fans will finally know how to react

Except for his “ride or die” fans, crowds are currently unsure how to react to Sami Zayn’s promos and in-ring work. He is loved by some and hated by others, and it is up to a wrestler to take such mixed reactions and use them as fuel to develop their character.

John Cena famously turned heel during his retirement tour and called people out on the divisive reactions they had given him over the years. Zayn, who is on a very different level, of course, could take the acknowledgment of the crowd’s reactions one step further by completely turning heel and later calling them out on it. This could help crowds better understand how to react when Zayn is in the ring.

#1. SmackDown will have a strong heel character

SmackDown has been creatively poor for the past several months, and the show desperately needs something new.

The MFTs led by Solo Sikoa have run their course as heels by feuding with the Wyatt Sicks (Who have been released from WWE) for months. Randy Orton and Pat McAfee were the last two proper heel characters on SmackDown, but the Viper was still getting cheered as a heel because people were tired of seeing Cody Rhodes as WWE Champion.

Before Orton, Drew McIntyre was the top heel, but even he got cheered by the fans because that’s how badly they wanted the Scottish Psychopath to end Cody Rhodes’ reign as champion. The latest heel on SmackDown is Gunther, but he is still a star made on Raw, for all intents and purposes, and could go back to the flagship once his feud with Cody Rhodes ends.

This leaves space for Zayn to step in and be a dominant heel either at the top level or in the mid-card. With his Underdog from the Underground character having run its course, Zayn could explore how to be a diabolical heel who stops at nothing to get what he wants and uses manipulation, mind games, and other forms of scheming to get his way.

WWE’s creative team has the opportunity of a lifetime to turn Sami Zayn heel, as organic crowd reactions are not easy to come by. The company has succeeded in the past when they’ve listened to the crowd and could very well succeed yet again if they take the risk with Sami Zayn.