Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn
File:Sami Zayn at WM31 Axxess.jpg Zayn in March 2015
Birth name	Rami Sebei
Born	(1984-07-12) July 12, 1984
Residence	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Big Larry El Generico Rami Sebei Sami Zayn Stevie McFly
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Billed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Billed from	Tijuana, Mexico Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Trained by	Patty the Kid Jerry Tuite Savio Vega
Debut	2002

Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian-born professional wrestler of Syrian descent, currently signed to WWE at the promotion's developmental territory, NXT, under the ring name Sami Zayn, where he is a former NXT Champion. Sebei is best known for his work on the independent circuit under the ring name El Generico, using the character of a luchador from Mexico with a catchphrase of "Olé!". Generico wrestled while masked from his debut in 2002 until 2013. Upon signing with WWE, Sebei began wrestling without a mask.

Generico achieved much success in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as a 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)

Sebei prominently made his name in the Canadian-based wrestling promotion International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS). 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 (PWG). 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 as ¡Peligro Abejas!.

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)

(Left to right) El Generico, Shane Matthews and Scott Parker as ¡3.0lé! during the 2011 King of Trios in April 2011

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 appearing at a Chikara show in 2013

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.

Generico in 2008

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. 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.

Generico and Kevin Steen feuded for two years in Ring of Honor

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 (DG) 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 (DGUSA), 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 Cam!kaze 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.

WWE

NXT (2013–present)

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 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.

File:Sami Zayn SummerSlam Axxess 2013.png

Sami Zayn at the 2013 SummerSlam Axxess event

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.

In November 2013, 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. Corey Graves then feuded with Zayn, with Zayn losing to Graves via referee stoppage on the April 3 episode of NXT after Graves capitalized on Zayn's head injury. 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 while making their main roster debuts.

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.

On December 11, 2014 at the NXT TakeOver: R Evolution live special, Zayn defeated Adrian Neville to win the NXT Championship. After the win, Zayn was congratulated by many other NXT wrestlers, including Neville and Kevin Owens (the former Kevin Steen). The show ended with Owens powerbombing Zayn onto the ring apron from the outside to ruin their reunion. In his first title defense, Zayn defeated Neville in a rematch on the January 14, 2015, episode of NXT, but suffered another post-match attack by Owens. After an irate Zayn demanded a match against Owens, even if it meant putting the title on the line, a title match was set for NXT TakeOver: Rival on February 11. At the event, Owens captured the title from Zayn via referee stoppage, having powerbombed a disorientated Zayn four times, ending his reign at 62 days.

On the May 4 episode of Raw, Zayn made a cameo after he was introduced by Bret Hart as John Cena's opponent for his weekly "U.S. Open Challenge" for his United States Championship; taking place in his hometown of Montreal, Zayn was heavily favored by the crowd over Cena, but ultimately lost the match; Cena, however, let Zayn have the ring to an outstanding ovation from the live crowd following the match. After the show, it was reported that Zayn had suffered a shoulder injury and would undergo an MRI for further analysis, which he legitimately injured before the match even started. At NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, Zayn had his NXT Championship rematch against Kevin Owens, which ended in a no contest due to Zayn being unable to continue the match. Owens continued assaulting Zayn until the debuting Samoa Joe made the save.

After a seven month hiatus, Zayn returned from injury on the December 23 episode of NXT (taped at the NXT TakeOver: London event on December 16), and defeated Tye Dillinger.

Other media

Sebei, as Sami Zayn, is featured as a playable character in WWE 2K15 and has his own path in the "Who Got NXT" mode for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, documenting his matches in NXT.

Personal life

Sebei is a fan of punk rock and ice hockey, supporting bands such as Rancid, Against Me!, The Bouncing Souls, Street Dogs, Dropkick Murphys and Operation Ivy, and teams like the Montreal Canadiens.

In wrestling

Generico performing his "Olé Kick", a running big boot on Rob Vegas in the corner of the ring

Generico executing a spin-out powerbomb on Dasher Hatfield

Generico performing a diving crossbody onto Hatfield

Generico performing an over the top rope flip dive onto Tim Donst

• Finishing moves
  • As Sami Zayn
    • Helluva Kick (Running big boot to a cornered opponent)
    • Reverse STO followed by a Koji Clutch
    • Wrist-lock transitioned into a springboard tornado DDT – 2013–2014, used rarely as a signature move thereafter
  • As El Generico
    • Brainbustaaaaahhhhh!!!!! (Super brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle)
    • Spike brainbuster

• Signature moves
  • As Sami Zayn
    • Blue Thunder Bomb(Spin-out sitout powerbomb)
    • Diving crossbody
    • Dropkick, sometimes as a flapjack counter
    • Exploder suplex into the turnbuckles
    • Half and half suplex
    • Leg lariat
    • Multiple arm drag variations
    • Over the top rope flip dive
    • Suicide dive transitioned into a tornado DDT
    • Sunset flip powerbomb, sometimes while running
  • As El Generico
    • 450° splash
    • Cradle DDT
    • Diving splash
    • Double pumphandle vertical suplex powerbomb
    • Exploder suplex, sometimes into the turnbuckles
    • Half and half suplex
    • Multiple moonsault variations
      • Split-legged
      • Standing
      • Springboard
    • Olé Kick (Running big boot to a cornered opponent)
    • Plancha
    • Sitout scoop slam piledriver
    • Somersault corner-to-corner missile dropkick
    • Spin-out powerbomb
    • Suicide dive transitioned into a tornado DDT

• Nicknames
  • "The Generic Luchador"
  • "Pride of Tijuana"

• Entrance themes
  • "¡Olé!" by The Bouncing Souls (Independent circuit)
  • "3 Minute Record" by The Berettas (NXT; 2013)
  • "Lower the Boom" by Fifth Floor (NXT; 2013–2014)
  • "Worlds Apart" by CFO$ (NXT; May 30, 2014–present)

Championships and accomplishments

El Generico celebrating his Chikara Rey de Voladores win in April 2011

• Association de Lutte Féminine
  • Sherri Memorial Cup Tournament (2007) – with LuFisto

• Britannia Wrestling Promotions
  • PWI:BWP World Catchweight Championship (1 time)

• Chikara
  • Rey de Voladores (2011)

• Dramatic Dream Team / Union Pro
  • DDT Extreme Division Championship (1 time)
  • KO-D Openweight Championship (1 time)
  • Best Foreigner Award (2012)

• Elite Wrestling Revolution
  • Elite 8 Tournament (2004)

• GBG Wrestling
  • GBG Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• International Wrestling Syndicate
  • IWS World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • IWS Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Twiggy

• North Shore Pro Wrestling
  • NSPW Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
  • PWG World Championship (2 times)
  • PWG World Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Human Tornado (1), Quicksilver (1), Kevin Steen (2), and Paul London (1)
  • Battle of Los Angeles (2011)
  • Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (2010) – with Paul London

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him 23 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2015

• Pro Wrestling Prestige
  • PWP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Puerto Rico Wrestling Association
  • PRWA Caribbean Championship (1 time)

• Ring of Honor
  • ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kevin Steen
  • ROH World Television Championship (1 time)

• SoCal Uncensored
  • Match of the Year (2006) vs. PAC, November 18, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
  • Match of the Year (2007) vs. Bryan Danielson, July 29, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
  • Most Outstanding Wrestler (2006, 2007)
  • Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Quicksilver
  • Wrestler of the Year (2007)

• STHLM Wrestling
  • STHLM Wrestling Championship (1 time)

• Westside Xtreme Wrestling
  • wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship (1 time)
  • 16 Carat Gold Tournament (2012)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Feud of the Year (2010) vs. Kevin Steen

• WWE
  • Slammy Award for NXT Superstar of the Year (2014)

• WWE NXT
  • NXT Championship (1 time)

Luchas de Apuestas record

See also: Luchas de Apuestas

Winner (wager)	Loser (wager)	Location	Event	Date	Notes
El Generico (mask)	Kevin Steen (ROH career)	New York City, New York	Final Battle 2010	December 18, 2010
Sami Zayn (career)	Adrian Neville (NXT Championship)	Orlando, Florida	NXT TakeOver: R Evolution	December 11, 2014

External links

• WWE NXT profile
• Chikara profile
• Online World of Wrestling profile