Sami Zayn ascending to main-event status would have been unfathomable to some a year ago, but his exceptional work with The Bloodline lately and everything leading up to it has been a game-changer for his career.

His path to the top of the card has been unconventional, to say the least. Although he debuted as a plucky, underdog babyface on the main roster in early 2016, it wasn't until he turned his back on the WWE Universe that it started to embrace him the most.

During his six-year stint on Raw and SmackDown, Zayn has largely been positioned as a midcard act. He's received few world title shots and found his most success at the Intercontinental Championship level.

However, his terrific last year and ongoing angle with The Bloodline has left fans to wonder whether his stock could skyrocket even more and lead to him being booked as a top talent sometime in the near future.

Could we soon be looking at Zayn as a main event player in WWE?

WWE's Best Thing Going

For as many familiar faces Triple H has brought back to the company since the summer, Zayn is the most must-see Superstar right now in the absence of Roman Reigns.

There are several compelling storylines currently on Raw and SmackDown, but nothing comes close to what Zayn has been able to accomplish as part of his program with The Bloodline since April. Everything he's involved in almost always becomes the best part of the show.

What started out as occasional interactions has turned into a weekly fixture on both brands with constant progression. His last segment with The Bloodline was one of WWE's strongest all year for its sheer entertainment value alone.

Regardless of what the situation calls for, Zayn knocks it out of the park every time. Although he's aligned with the biggest heel group in the company, it's impossible not to want to see him succeed.

Whether WWE intended it or not, he has the potential to be a viable main event star down the road. The fans will make sure of that in the same way they did with Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston in recent years.

Natural Babyface

As previously noted, Zayn was originally introduced to the WWE Universe as a babyface in 2016. He basically carried over his character from NXT but didn't connect with crowds as well as he did on the black-and-gold brand due to his lack of character arc.

In NXT, he had the perfect rise to championship contention and had the fans behind him every step of the way. He was the quintessential hero and it showed during all of his hard-fought matches and passionate promos.

All these years later, WWE has successfully recaptured that babyface magic with Zayn as part of this program with The Bloodline. He can and will emerge from it as a beloved babyface, which can and should take him to the heights.

The company could use more babyfaces who are as organically over as Zayn on both brands right now. Once his rivalry with Reigns and The Bloodline runs its course, he can be matched with virtually anyone on the roster and excel.

It's been over five years since Zayn was last a babyface in WWE, and he's long overdue for a turn. His heel run helped him get to where he is today, but the babyface run will be what cements his place among the elite.

Building Believability

The only downside to Zayn killing it in his role as a pest heel in recent years is that he's lost far more matches than he should have.

That isn't to say he will forever be perceived as a perennial loser by the WWE Universe, but at some point, he'll need to rack up more wins in order to be taken seriously, especially if the idea is for him to continue climbing the card.

Thankfully, this process already appears to be underway.

Zayn has won three of his last six televised matches. One of them was a tag team win alongside Solo Sikoa, and the other two came against the likes of AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston.

That's in stark contrast to his first six months of 2022, where his only three wins were in his matches with Shinsuke Nakamura. His entertaining antics tend to overshadow his inconsistent win-loss record, but a string of victories over people of prominence will be what makes him a threat to any title in the company and not just a stepping stone for everyone else to beat.

Possibility of Dethroning Roman Reigns as Undisputed WWE World Champion

Most fans may forget that long before they were Bloodline buddies, Zayn once challenged Reigns for the Universal Championship.

Zayn winning the Black Friday Battle Royal last November and earning the golden opportunity came as quite the surprise because of his lack of direction at the time. He was never actually going to take the title from Reigns, but it would have been fun to see him try.

Ultimately, before the bout could begin, Zayn was ambushed by Brock Lesnar, leaving The Tribal Chief to pick up the scraps and win in under 20 seconds.

Thus, there's a story to revisit there when the time comes for Zayn to break away from The Bloodline. A fight with Reigns is inevitable, but it's more a matter of when WWE wants to make that match a reality.

WWE recently announced Elimination Chamber will emanate from Zayn's home turf of Montreal in February. That would be as perfect of a place as any for the bout to be booked.

Depending on how popular Zayn is by then and other opponents WWE could have lined up for Reigns, it is entirely possible they run it back at WrestleMania 39 and the Canadian becomes the one to dethrone The Tribal Chief after almost three years.

Even if not, Zayn should have no issue maintaining momentum beyond a possible clash with Reigns. His popularity has reached such a level that it would be difficult for him to be anything less than a top-tier talent going forward.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.