Sami Zayn Rami Sebei ( July 12 , 1984 ) is a Canadian professional wrestler of Syrian descent , currently signed to WWE , performing on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn . Sebei is best known for his work on the independent circuit under the ring name El Generico , using the character of a Mexican luchador from Mexico with a catchphrase of " Olé ! " . ) Generico wrestled while masked from his debut in 2002 until 2013 . On January 9 , 2013 , it was reported that Sebei had signed with WWE . He is currently appearing for WWE ' s developmental territory , NXT Wrestling . Generico achieved much success in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as a former two - time PWG World Champion and five - time World Tag Team Champion . He is the only person to have won both of PWG ' s annual tournaments , the Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament in 2010 and the Battle of Los Angeles in 2011 . Generico has also held the ROH World Television Championship and World Tag Team Championship with Kevin Steen , with whom he later earned the 2010 Feud of the Year award from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Having wrestled internationally , Generico won the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in Germany and Dramatic Dream Team ' s KO - D Openweight Championship in Japan . Professional wrestling career . Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( 2004 – 2013 ) . Generico prominently made his name in the Canadian - based wrestling promotion International Wrestling Syndicate . In 2004 , members of the IWS started making regular appearances in the United States , which helped him get noticed by the popular independent company Pro Wrestling Guerrilla . Since then , Generico has been a PWG regular . He has held the PWG World Tag Team Championship five times with four different partners : with Human Tornado as 2 Skinny Black Guys , Quicksilver as Cape Fear , Kevin Steen , and Paul London . Generico is also the only participant to consecutively appear in the first eight BOLA tournaments from 2005 . On February 24 , 2007 , Generico defeated former partner Tornado to win the PWG World Championship during his title run with Cape Fear . Later that year , while Generico was still World Champion , he and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong for the belts , making Generico the only man in PWG history to hold both the World and World Tag Team Titles not once , but twice at the same time . In mid - 2009 , Generico entered a lengthy feud with the tag team Men of Low Moral Fiber , consisting of Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor , recruiting Colt Cabana , referee Rick Knox , and former partner Human Tornado ( effectively reuniting 2 Skinny Black Guys ) to stand by his side . At PWG ' s 6th anniversary event , " Threemendous II " , 2 Skinny Black Guys defeated current champions The Young Bucks in a non - title match , giving the Bucks their first tag team loss in almost a year and a half . On November 21 , 2009 , during the second night of the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles , Generico and Kevin Steen lost a title match against the Bucks . Later , he and Cabana saved the new PWG World Champion Kenny Omega from Brian Kendrick and The Young Bucks , and made peace with him as they now had a common enemy . On May 9 , 2010 , Generico teamed up with " Intrepid Traveler " Paul London to form a duo introduced as " Peligro Abejas ! " ( literal translation : Danger Bees ! ) in the fourth annual " DDT4 " eight - team tag tournament . After defeating Chuck Taylor and Scott Lost in the first round and the Briscoe Brothers ( Jay and Mark ) in the semifinals , Generico and London defeated the Young Bucks in the finals of the tournament to not only win DDT4 , but also the PWG World Tag Team Championship , Generico ' s fifth time he has held the title . On December 11 , 2010 , El Generico earned himself a shot at the PWG World Championship , when Peligro Abejas ! successfully defended the PWG World Tag Team Championship against Chris Hero and the PWG World Champion , Claudio Castagnoli , the team known collectively as The Kings of Wrestling . Generico received his shot at the PWG World Championship on January 29 , 2011 , during the WrestleReunion 5 weekend , but was defeated by Castagnoli . On April 9 , El Generico teamed with Ricochet , who filled in for London who was unable appear at the event , in a match , where they lost the PWG World Tag Team Championship back to The Young Bucks . On August 20 , Generico entered the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles , defeating Claudio Castagnoli and Willie Mack in his first round and semifinal matches . Later that same night , Generico defeated old rival Kevin Steen in the finals to win the tournament , becoming the first person to have won the PWG World and World Tag Team championships as well as the DDT4 and Battle of Los Angeles tournaments . In the process , Generico also earned himself a match for Steen ' s PWG World Championship . On October 22 , El Generico defeated Steen in a ladder match , following outside interference from The Young Bucks , to win the PWG World Championship for the second time . On March 17 , 2012 , El Generico lost the title back to Steen in a three - way match , which also included Eddie Edwards . After agreeing to a deal with WWE , El Generico made his farewell appearance for PWG on January 12 , 2013 , when he and Kevin Steen entered the 2013 Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament . After wins over the Briscoe Brothers and Future Shock ( Adam Cole and Kyle O ' Reilly ) , El Generico and Steen were defeated in the finals of the tournament by The Young Bucks . Chikara ( 2005 – 2012 ) . On February 19 , 2005 , El Generico made his debut for Philadelphia , Pennsylvania – based Chikara , taking part in the 2005 Tag World Grand Prix , where he teamed with Kevin Steen as Team IWS . The team would make it to the quarterfinals of the tournament , before being defeated by the SuperFriends ( Chris Hero and Mike Quackenbush ) . El Generico returned to Chikara three years later to take part in the 2008 King of Trios , where he teamed with Player Uno and Stupefied , again , as Team IWS . After defeating the F1rst Family ( Arik Cannon , Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz ) in their first round match on March 1 , Team IWS was eliminated from the tournament later that same day by " Los Luchadores de Mexico " ( Incognito , Lince Dorado and El Pantera ) , who would go on to win the entire tournament . The following year , on March 27 , El Generico returned for the 2009 King of Trios , this time teaming with Matt and Nick Jackson as Team PWG . They would , however , end up being eliminated from the tournament in the first round by The Osirian Portal ( Amasis , Escorpion Egipcio and Ophidian ) . The following day El Generico entered the " Rey de Voladores " tournament , but was defeated by Kota Ibushi in his four – way elimination semifinal match , which also included Jigsaw and Nick Jackson . On the third night of the tournament , El Generico was defeated by Arik Cannon in a singles match . El Generico ' s next appearance for Chikara would occur almost two years later on January 23 , 2011 , when he faced Eddie Kingston in a losing effort . For the 2011 King of Trios El Generico came together with 3 . 0 ( Scott Parker and Shane Matthews ) to form 3 . 0le ! . The team was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by The Osirian Portal ( Amasis , Hieracon and Ophidian ) . The following day El Generico entered his second " Rey de Voladores " and defeated Pinkie Sanchez , Zack Sabre , Jr . and Marshe Rockett in his four – way elimination semifinal match to qualify for the following day ' s finals . The following day El Generico defeated the 1 - 2 - 3 Kid in the finals to win the 2011 " Rey de Voladores . " El Generico returned to Chikara on July 30 , 2011 , when he reunited 3 . 0le ! with Scott Parker and Shane Matthews in a six - man tag team match , where they defeated F . I . S . T . ( Chuck Taylor , Icarus and Johnny Gargano ) . The following day 3 . 0le ! was defeated by the Spectral Envoy ( Frightmare , Hallowicked and UltraMantis Black ) in a six - man tag team match . Ring of Honor ( 2005 – 2012 ) . El Generico first wrestled for Ring of Honor ( ROH ) in 2005 , earning a spot in a Four Corner Survival match at " Do Or Die IV " . He teamed with the Ring Crew Express ( Dunn and Marcos ) in the " Trios Tournament 2005 " , losing to the Rottweilers . At " Stalemate " , he lost to Roderick Strong , then teaming with Sal Rinauro against the Embassy at " New Frontiers " ( and losing ) . He only received a few more matches , losing to Austin Aries at " Fate of an Angel " and getting his first win against fellow IWS alumnus Kevin Steen at " The Homecoming " ( a match that didn ' t even make it to the event ' s DVD ) . His final ROH match of this run would be a loss to Homicide at " Dragon Gate Invasion " . It should be noted that both Generico and Steen would stop being used as part of the promotion at around the same time . The criticism of the wrestlers was especially harsh by Ring of Honor fans , who did not think of either was worthy of being on the ROH roster . However , this wouldn ' t be either man ' s final appearance in the company . Generico returned to ROH in late 2006 , making an appearance at " Dethroned " , where he was defeated by Brent Albright . Following this , he took part in ( and lost ) a Four Corner Survival match to Jimmy Rave at " Final Battle 2006 " . In 2007 , El Generico formed a permanent team with Kevin Steen , taking on the Briscoe Brothers at the " Fifth Year Festival : Philly " . Much like many previous matches , they would be defeated in this encounter , but the two men had a memorable showing that eventually earned them a full - time spot on the roster . Throughout 2007 , the two teams feuded with one another , having several memorable matches including ( but not limited to ) a great match on the " Driven " pay - per - view , ROH ' s second - ever . Their feud would come to an end following a brutal Street Fight at " Death Before Dishonor V : Night 1 " , a Steel Cage match at " Caged Rage " , a 2 - Out - of - 3 Falls match at " Manhattan Mayhem 2 " , and a ladder match advertised as a " Ladder War " at " Man Up " . This final match became the Main Event of ROH ' s third pay - per - view . Also during this time , Generico broke out as a singles competitor , having a strong run in the Race to the Top Tournament of 2007 . He defeated ( in order ) Delirious , Chris Hero and Davey Richards , only to lose in the final match of the tournament to Claudio Castagnoli , who won . After the feud with the Briscoes ended , Generico and Steen spent several months feuding with the Hangmen Three in an inconclusive feud that carried on into 2008 . They also worked through the tag ranks and attempted to win the tag titles , but came up short in a tag title tournament at " Up For Grabs " . Generico took ROH World champion Nigel McGuinness to the limit at " Age of Insanity " , but eventually lost . On September 19 , 2008 , Generico and Steen finally won the ROH World Tag Team Championship by beating The Age of the Fall at Driven . Generico lost a second match to McGuinness at " Glory by Honor VII " . Generico was booked in another match against McGuinness at Caged Collision , which he lost . On April 10 , 2009 , at a television taping , Generico and Steen lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to The American Wolves ( Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards ) . Generico then suffered a knee injury , sustaining damage to his Medial collateral ligament . On December 19 , 2009 , at Final Battle 2009 , ROH ' s first live pay - per - view , after a loss to The Young Bucks , Steen turned heel by attacking El Generico . He then formed a team with Colt Cabana and together the two of them started a feud with Steen and his new partner Steve Corino . At the following pay - per - view , The Big Bang ! , Generico and Cabana defeated Steen and Corino via disqualification , when Steen used a chair on his former partner . On June 19 at Death Before Dishonor VIII , Steen defeated El Generico in a singles match . On September 11 at Glory By Honor IX Generico and Cabana defeated Steen and Corino in a Double Chain match , when Cabana forced Corino to tap out . After the match Steen attacked El Generico and unmasked him . On December 18 at Final Battle 2010 El Generico and Steen ended their year – long feud in an unsanctioned Fight Without Honor , where Generico put his mask on the line against Steen ' s ROH career . In the weeks leading up to the event , Generico debuted a new darker character and an all black outfit . In the end El Generico won the match and thus forced Steen out of Ring of Honor . On March 2 , 2011 , ROH announced that El Generico had signed a new contract with the promotion . On April 1 at the first night of Honor Takes Center Stage , El Generico was defeated by Michael Elgin from the House of Truth , led by Truth Martini , following interference from a masked man . The following day , El Generico defeated another member of the House of Truth , Roderick Strong , but was after the match attacked by Elgin and Martini . Colt Cabana came out to make the save , but was stopped by the House of Truth ' s advantage in numbers . This led to Christopher Daniels coming out , but he ended up turning heel and hitting El Generico with the Book of Truth and Cabana with the Angel ' s Wings , thus joining the House of Truth and revealing himself as the man who had cost El Generico his match during the first night of the pay - per - view . On June 26 at Best in the World 2011 , Generico defeated Daniels to win the ROH World Television Championship . He would lose the title to Jay Lethal on August 13 at the first " Ring of Honor Wrestling " tapings under the Sinclair Broadcast Group banner . On March 30 , 2012 , at Showdown in the Sun , El Generico faced the reinstated Kevin Steen in a losing effort in a Last Man Standing match . El Generico disappeared from ROH after this , however on October 13 at Glory By Honor XI : The Unbreakable Hope , after Steen successfully defended his ROH World Championship he received a parcel containing Generico ' s mask . El Generico returned to ROH on December 16 at Final Battle 2012 : Doomsday , where he unsuccessfully challenged Steen for the ROH World Championship in a ladder war . This would be his last appearance with the company before signing with the WWE . Japan ( 2007 – 2009 , 2011 – 2012 ) . Generico travelled to Japan during the summer of 2007 , where he worked for the Dragon Gate promotion as the gaijin ( foreign ) representative of the New Hazard stable . He returned to the promotion in July 2008 , where he was announced as Tozawa - juku ' s " foreign exchange student . " El Generico made his third tour of Dragon Gate in October 2009 , when he wrestled as a member of the Kamikaze stable . In early 2011 , El Generico began making semi - regular appearances for the Japanese Union Pro promotion , making his debut on January 3 with a win over Shinichiro Tominaga . On September 19 , El Generico won his first title in Japan , when he defeated Isami Kodaka for the DDT Extreme Division Championship . After successful title defenses against Shuji Ishikawa and Sanshiro Takagi , he lost the title back to Kodaka on January 3 , 2012 . El Generico has also made some appearances for Union Pro ' s parent promotion , Dramatic Dream Team ( DDT ) , most notably defeating Kota Ibushi in Ibushi ' s return match from a shoulder injury on May 4 , 2012 . On August 18 , El Generico wrestled his first match in the Nippon Budokan , defeating the debuting Konosuke Takeshita . On September 30 , El Generico defeated Kota Ibushi to win the KO - D Openweight Championship , DDT ' s top title . El Generico made his first successful title defense on October 21 in a rematch against Ibushi . On November 25 , El Generico defeated KO - D Tag Team Champion Mikami for his second successful defense of the KO - D Openweight Championship . On December 23 , El Generico lost the KO - D Openweight Championship to Kenny Omega in his third defense . Dragon Gate USA and Evolve ( 2012 ) . On March 31 , 2012 , El Generico made his debut for Dragon Gate USA , when he defeated Chuck Taylor , Cima , Lince Dorado , Rich Swann and Samuray del Sol in a six - way match . On April 13 , El Generico made his debut for Evolve , a promotion closely affiliated with DGUSA , losing to Low Ki . After another loss to Ricochet on May 11 , El Generico picked up his first win in the promotion on May 12 by defeating Sami Callihan . El Generico then had two singles matches against Samuray del Sol ; the first on June 28 at Evolve 14 was won by El Generico and the rematch the following day at Evolve 15 was won by Samuray . El Generico returned to Dragon Gate USA on July 28 , when he and Samuray were defeated in a tag team match by AR Fox and Cima . On September 8 , El Generico and Samuray del Sol faced off in another Evolve main event , which was won by El Generico . On November 4 at Dragon Gate USA ' s Freedom Fight 2012 , El Generico teamed with Samuray in a tag team match , where they defeated Genki Horiguchi and Ryo Saito . The two continued their winning ways on December 8 at Evolve 18 , where they defeated the Super Smash Bros . ( Player Uno and Stupefied ) . Other promotions . From 2005 onwards , El Generico has made several appearances for the German Westside Xtreme Wrestling ( wXw ) promotion . On March 4 , 2012 , El Generico defeated Tommy End to win wXw ' s 2012 16 Carat Gold Tournament . On May 19 , El Generico defeated Big Van Walter to also win the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship . On August 12 , 2012 , he lost the title to Axel Tischer in a four - way match , which also included Bad Bones and Karsten Beck . In October 2009 El Generico traveled to Poland to take part in Do or Die Wrestling ' s event in Warsaw , defeating Michael Kovac in the main event of the show . In May 2010 , Generico competed in the main - event of Capital City Championship Combat ' s show , Stand Alone . On October 23 , Generico competed at Pro Wrestling Superstars ' inaugural show in Jacksonville , North Carolina , where he teamed with Paul London to defeat Joey Silvia and Jake Manning . On January 11 , 2011 , El Generico wrestled in a tryout dark match for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) at the promotion ' s " Impact ! " tapings , losing to Amazing Red . The following day he defeated T . J . Perkins in another dark match . On April 20 , 2011 , El Generico made his South American debut , when he wrestled for Peruvian promotion Leader Wrestling Association ( LWA ) , facing Apocalipsis , Axl and Kaiser in a number one contender ' s match to determine a challenger for Caoz , the promotion ' s " Campeón Máximo " . In the end , Kaiser came out of the match victorious . On April 24 , El Generico wrestled for Chilean promotion Xplosion Nacional de Lucha ( XNL ) , losing to Crazy Sid in an XNL Championship number one contender ' s three – way match , which also included XL . On February 26 , 2012 , El Generico visited Russia for the first time , making his debut for the Independent Wrestling Federation ( IWF ) , where he faced Ivan " Locomotive " Markov and won . Later in the year , on September 16 , they wrestled in a rematch and this time Markov was victorious . On September 8 , 2012 , Generico made an appearance for Combat Zone Wrestling ( CZW ) , unsuccessfully challenging Masada for the CZW World Heavyweight Championship . After signing with WWE , El Generico made his final Canadian independent appearance on January 18 , 2013 , when he worked for the Hart Legacy Wrestling ( HLW ) promotion in Calgary . In the opening four - way elimination match , El Generico and Samuray del Sol were victorious over Camikaze and Pete Wilson , Brian Cage and Trent Barreta , and Andrew Hawkes and Ryan Rollins . As a result , the two earned a spot in a main event ten man tag team match , where they teamed with Barreta , Davey Boy Smith , Jr . and Jack Evans in a losing effort against the team of Teddy Hart , Brian Cage , Cam ! kaze , Flip Kendrick and Pete Wilson , with Generico being pinned for the win by Hart . World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE . NXT territory ( 2013 – 2015 ) . On January 9 , 2013 , it was reported that Sebei had signed with WWE . The following day it was specified that Sebei and WWE had agreed to a verbal deal that would be signed , after Sebei passed all drug and medical tests . On January 30 , it was reported that Sebei had passed his medical tests and officially signed his contract with WWE . On February 13 , Sebei made his debut for WWE ' s developmental territory WWE NXT , but did not wrestle . Sebei ' s NXT in - ring debut took place at a live event on March 7 in Tampa , Florida , where he wrestled a tag team match while working unmasked and under his real name . Sebei eventually settled on the ring name Sami Zayn . Zayn made his televised debut on the May 22 " NXT " by defeating two former champions in WWE , first defeating Curt Hawkins in the opening match and then challenging and scoring an upset win over Antonio Cesaro later in the show . The following week he took part in an 18 - man battle royal to determine the number one contender to the NXT Championship , but was eliminated by Mason Ryan . On the June 12 " NXT " , Zayn suffered his first pinfall loss in NXT in a rematch with Cesaro . On the July 17 " NXT " , Zayn failed to win another number one contender match also involving Cesaro and Leo Kruger . On the July 31 " NXT " , Zayn teamed with NXT Champion Bo Dallas against Cesaro and Kruger ; after Cesaro and Zayn brawled to the back , Dallas lost the match and later blamed Zayn for the loss . On the August 21 " NXT " , Cesaro defeated Zayn in a two - out - of - three falls match to conclude the feud . On September 6 , Zayn made his WWE debut at a house show in his hometown of Montreal , where he defeated Cesaro . When Zayn targeted Dallas ' NXT Championship , Dallas cost Zayn his match against Cesaro ' s fellow Real American , Jack Swagger . Dallas held an open challenge to determine the next title contender but banned Zayn from competing , so Zayn masqueraded as the masked El Local and defeated Dallas to earn his title shot . The match occurred on the [ [ October 16 ] ] " NXT " ; General Manager JBL restarted the match when Zayn won despite Dallas ' foot on the ropes , but not when Dallas sent Zayn into an exposed turnbuckle to retain his title . After tying a Beat the Clock challenge with Adrian Neville by defeating Leo Kruger , Zayn lost a number one contender ' s match to Neville on the November 27 " NXT " . Zayn moved on to feud with Kruger and the feud culminated in Zayn winning a two - out - of - three falls match on the January 1 , 2014 " NXT " . After that , Zayn ' s obsession with his loss to Antonio Cesaro the previous year led to him challenging Cesaro to a rematch on the February 27 NXT Arrival ; Cesaro prevailed again but showed respect to Zayn after the match . On the May 8 episode of " NXT " , Zayn participated in a 20 - man battle royal for a NXT Championship shot , with Zayn being involved in a three - way tie . As a result , Zayn faced the other two winners , Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd in a triple - threat match on the next episode of " NXT " , where Kidd won to become # 1 contender . At NXT Takeover , Zayn faced Breeze in another # 1 contender match , but suffered a controversial loss . In June 2014 , Zayn went on to feud with Tyson Kidd after Kidd abandoned him during their match against the NXT Tag Team Champions , the Ascension . After Zayn defeated Justin Gabriel , both Kidd and Gabriel attacked Zayn , who was saved by his friend , NXT Champion Adrian Neville . Zayn later defeated Kidd twice to end the feud , once in a singles match on the July 17 episode of " NXT " ; as well in a tag match with Adam Rose against Gabriel and Kidd , which was the first round of a tournament for an opportunity at the NXT Tag Team Championship . Zayn and Rose lost in the second round to Kalisto and Sin Cara . When Zayn , Kidd and Tyler Breeze each staked a claim for an NXT Championship match , champion Neville agreed to face all three in a four - way match at the next NXT Takeover event to hype that match , Zayn and Neville appeared on the September 8 , 2014 episode of " Raw " where they defeated Breeze and Kidd . At " NXT Takeover : Fatal 4 Way " , Zayn nearly won the four - way match and the NXT Championship , but champion Adrian Neville stopped him by dragging the referee out of the ring ; Neville went on to win and retain his title . This caused tension within Neville and Zayn ' s friendship . After Zayn lost another match , this time to Titus O ' Neil , he vowed to start a " road to redemption " leading to the NXT Championship , which saw him defeat Tyson Kidd , Titus O ' Neil and Tyler Breeze in singles matches . Zayn was rewarded with a title match against Neville on the November 13 episode of " NXT " ; Neville appeared to injure himself during the match , but he took advantage on Zayn checking on him to defeat Zayn . Neville agreed to Zayn ' s request for a title rematch , with Zayn vowing to quit NXT if he lost . This was set for NXT Takeover : R Evolution . At " NXT Takeover : R Evolution " , Zayn would then win the NXT Championship against Neville after a lengthy match between the two . Zayn ' s celebration after the NXT Championship match on NXT Takeover : R Evolution would be cut short later on when the debuting Kevin Owens attacked him . Owens later claimed that Sami betrayed their friendship due to him coming to WWE first . Owens would challenge Zayn for the title at NXT Takeover : Rival , Zayn would be knocked out by Owens after recieving 4 powerbombs from him , causing him to lose the title . Zayn would challenge Owens again at the next Takeover , Unstoppable in May . However , it ended with the same result as the last Takeover , with Owens powerbombing Zayn , causing him to injure his shoulder . Zayn would return after a 7 month hiatus at NXT Takeover : London , defeating Tye Dillinger in the dark match main event . Zayn would continue to pursue the NXT Title , now held by Finn Balor . As a result , he faced Samoa Joe in a series of matches , which culminated with Joe winning . General Manager William Regal would say that Sami would have to face the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT Takeover : Dallas . At the event , both men would put on the match of the night . However , Zayn lost , but would recieve a standing ovation from the fans and bidding goodbye to them , ending his final appearance in NXT . Main Roster ( 2015 – present ) . On the May 4 episode of Raw , John Cena issued an open challenge for his United States Championship , in which Bret Hart appeared to introduce the next contender , Sami Zayn . Zayn would injure his shoulder here that would keep him out of action of 7 months , but still put on the performance of a lifetime against Cena . Zayn would lose , but the crowd gave him a rounding applause afterward . Zayn would make his PPV debut at the Royal Rumble , entering at # 20 , eliminating Kevin Owens , before being eliminated by Braun Strowman . Zayn would permanently stay on the main roster , attacking Kevin Owens before Owens would powerbomb Neville on the apron . Zayn would be listed as one of the contenders against Kevin Owens in a 7 - man Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 32 . However , Sami would not win the match because Zack Ryder captured the belt . Zayn would continue his feud with his former best friend Owens , resulting in a match at WWE Payback . Zayn lost the match , however , invaded the Intercontinental Championship match between Miz and Cesaro , inserting himself in the title picture . Sami Zayn later defeated The Miz on the May 9 episode of Raw for a place in the Fatal 4 Way Match at Extreme Rules , between Zayn , Owens , Miz and Cesaro . Zayn would be unsuccessful at the PPV . Zayn would defeat Sheamus the next night to earn the first place at the Money in the Bank Ladder Match , however the match was won by Dean Ambrose . Owens and Zayn continue to feud , setting up another match between the two at Battleground . Zayn defeated Owens , and would later defeat the Dudley Boyz alongside Neville at the Summerslam pre - show . Zayn lost to Chris Jericho after a mini - feud at Clash of Champions .