Sami Zayn Remembers WWE's "Miserable" Mindset for NXT Superstars "Insanity"

[{"selector":"#anim-1d8395d3-ee45-4a85-8e63-982c7c7bca65","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4197c33f-b46b-40c3-a2eb-a220af9ebf7a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] According to Sami Zayn, NXT talent was instructed they should be unhappy about being on the gold brand and that no one was their friend.

The Syrian-Canadian Superstar made his NXT debut in 2013,

[{"selector":"#anim-51dbc48b-55c5-4aca-a98b-ccf89ff365e1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13451df1-596f-4aa9-88f9-8bb365dc09bc","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

and after years of establishing himself as El Generico, he became an instant success with the crowd.

[{"selector":"#anim-2060980f-6aac-49d5-8d18-3480180ba864","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3bb8a118-2749-4f86-a09f-4b3297e9cb03","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Zayn won the NXT Championship in late 2014,

[{"selector":"#anim-ce64106b-68ce-44fb-8755-74397ded9741","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-53ea47f1-bafa-45b2-bdb3-a609345a659b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

however his reign was brief as he lost the championship to Kevin Owens two months later.

[{"selector":"#anim-81dc0125-a9dd-419a-a3c2-dc7222bb302a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-370a6ebf-aed8-4b8f-9024-f176b0a315c0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Zayn returned to play in late 2015 after missing months of activity due to an injury in 2015,

[{"selector":"#anim-c6c82dcc-c151-459b-84b0-99fd31824277","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aa3790f0-0b10-43dd-86a7-bdff3bd458bd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

[{"selector":"#anim-b13a3acf-4d26-4457-8284-921fed5d3961","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fe2f8fd5-b968-4e9c-a229-18d007e3789c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] and in 2016 he was called up to the main team. Although Zayn is immensely likeable due to his carefree outlook on life,

he wasn't intended to spend his time in NXT developing friends.

[{"selector":"#anim-953f7109-7922-4c86-8a4a-fc825db592bb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-65d969b1-50a8-4962-badb-b4685eddfac3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-120%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]