The Cat Is Out of the Bag: Sami Zayn to Appear at EVOLVE This Weekend

Zayn to EVOLVE
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Sami Zayn has been sitting on the shelf since Takeover: Unstoppable, and the timetable for his return has been muddled to say the least. While Sasha Banks and Bayley have taken up his mantel of carrying NXT, his presence is still missed, both in the developmental/premium hybrid and even on the main roster, where his debut match against John Cena in the US Championship Open Challenge was exciting at least, and also where his rival Kevin Owens is terrorizing poor Lucha Dragons and Big Guys unabated. The good news is that Zayn has been announced for an appearance this weekend. The weird news is that it's not for a WWE property.

EVOLVE Wrestling will host Zayn this Saturday and Sunday in Queens, NY for EVOLVE 49 and Deer Park, NY for EVOLVE 50. He will not be a part of the Internet pay-per-view broadcast, and he's not wrestling. However, he will be available for a meet-and-greet and autograph session before each show, and he will be in the ring, presumably to cut a promo, exclusively for the live crowd. This news may sound like much ado about nothing, but it confirms a giant story that's been bubbling around the Internet for the entire summer and into fall.

Zayn, arguably NXT's biggest star ever, appearing for WWN Live seemingly cements the rumors of a working relationship between NXT and WWN Live. Of course, the other signs have been there all along. Gabe Sapolsky was credentialed at Takeover: Brooklyn. Matt Riddle, who appeared at the big early summer tryout with Drew Gulak, Biff Busick, and unfortunately Jessicka Havok, is debuting for EVOLVE this weekend. Triple H said on the pre-Respect conference call that he was funneling spillover from the Performance Center towards WWN Live for work. But Zayn makes the partnership feel palpable. It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here, but for now, Sami freakin' Zayn is back at a wrestling show. It's been far too long.