6 WWE Superstars who unexpectedly got a push in 2020
This year has seen a lot of huge changes in WWE, and the year still isn't over yet. There have been moments in 2020 that not even the biggest fan of WWE could have imagined happening at the start of the year.
So far, fans have seen the first-ever WrestleMania take place in an empty WWE Performance Centre, and the Money in the Bank ladder matches take place on the roof of WWE Global Headquarters. Apart from that, the fans saw Becky Lynch become the first champion to relinquish a championship due to pregnancy. There have also been huge returns this year, including Edge at the Royal Rumble and Roman Reigns making a comeback with Paul Heyman in tow.
The WWE Universe has also seen numerous different Superstars getting a much-deserved push. Some of these were expected, such as Shayna Baszler and Keith Lee's moves to RAW, Karrion Kross becoming NXT Champion, and Bayley continuing her domination on SmackDown.
In contrast to those expected pushes, here are that fans could never have predicted.
#5 Sami Zayn won his first title in WWE in five years
Sami Zayn being at the receiving end of a push in WWE may have been predictable a few years ago, but in 2019, the star was on the sidelines. Since moving to the RAW in 2016, Zayn had not managed to win a title in WWE. In 2019, Zayn had lost fifteen out of sixteen of his matches on RAW, before moving to SmackDown later in the year, acting as a manager for Shinsuke Nakamura.
Cesaro later joined Zayn's group, dubbed The Artists Collective. Fans praised Zayn for his work as a mouthpiece for Nakamura and Cesaro, and he often interfered in his allies' matches.
In an unexpected move, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura challenged Braun Strowman to a handicap match for the Intercontinental Championship. Fans were shocked when Zayn took to the ring and became the new champion, his first title win in five years.
Zayn took a step back from competition during the current pandemic. He made his return to SmackDown to challenge current Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, claiming that he was actually the real champion, having never lost the title. The two are set to face off with AJ Styles in a ladder match for the title at Clash of Champions.