Sami Zayn Says WWE Match Of His 'Changed The Industry'

Sami Zayn has featured in many high-profile matches throughout his career, including a main event against the Undisputed Universal WWE Champion Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2023 and a headlining spot at WrestleMania 39. However, his two-out-of-three falls match against Cesaro during a 2013 episode of "WWE NXT" is the one he cites as a game-changer — not just for him, but for the wrestling business as a whole.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the bout, Zayn took to X and reposted clips from the match. He also explained why it was such an important match at the time, stating that it helped redefine the "NXT" brand.

"At this risk of sounding dramatic or arrogant, this one match changed the industry. This was the day NXT became 'a thing.' Hard to explain the significance/context/landscape at that time, but suffice to say it's one of my proudest matches, with one of my all-time best opponents."

As Zayn noted, his match with Cesaro was one of the bouts that put "NXT" on the map following its revamp in 2012. This was around the time that the brand's weekly show began focusing more on in-ring action, as opposed to being more of a game show-inspired competition series.

Cesaro was victorious in the match, but it certainly helped establish Zayn as a formidable WWE Superstar. These days, he's riding high on the main roster as one-half of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions with Kevin Owens. Cesaro, meanwhile, now competes in AEW as Claudio Castagnoli, and he's the current ROH World Champion.