When news broke that Sami Zayn was going to be out of action for reasons both personal and Kayfabe following an “injury” at the hands of Drew McIntyre, it left a hole at the top of the RAW card.

Now sure, technically, RAW had more main event caliber performers than they knew what to do with back in early December, as the returning CM Punk joined a crowded field already populated by the World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, and Gunther, but as fans have come to learn in incredibly short order, things can change in a hurry, with the “Second City Saint” now out of action indefinitely with a triceps tear suffered at the Royal Rumble. Fortunately, fans didn't have to wait too long to see Zayn in the ring once more, as after making some cameos on WWE's winter house show circuit, the “Underdog From the Underground” made his big return at the Royal Rumble, entering the match at spot 30 and then main eventing RAW two nights later against the “Scottish Warrior.”

Taking the mic after RAW went off the air, Zayn addressed the crowd for the first time since his televised return and let the fans in the greater Tampa Bay area know that he wasn't going to miss performing for them for the world.

“Not gonna lie, physically I'm not feeling too good at the moment. I've sat on the shelf [for] the better part of two months, and I was really visualizing coming back. I was hurt — I've been hurt, but I was hurt, and I didn't know when I would come back, exactly. But, I did have one date circled on my calendar that I absolutely wanted to be back for, and it is tonight: Monday Night RAW in Tampa!” Sami Zayn told the crowd via Wrestling Inc.

“Some of you know this, some of you don't, but some of the very best — the guys who are main-eventing every PLE, the guys who main-event every Monday night on RAW , the guys that are gonna main-event WrestleMania — every one of them had to move to Tampa, Florida! When they first came to WWE, they wanted to learn this craft — we all, all of us, had to come live in Tampa, Florida. And for almost a year, I was proud and I was happy to call my hometown of Tampa, Florida.

“And there's a reason that it was in Tampa, Florida. It's because every single one of you, through years, and years, and years, and years, of coming to these shows — years and years and years of using your voice, of cheering us on, of supporting us — every single one of you made this a wrestling town!

“I'm not gonna go on and on about the time I lived in Florida, and the many wonderful, wonderful memories I carry from living in Tampa. All I'm gonna say is that it is a sincere honor, and it is a sincere pleasure, and a privilege to be able to walk out here and perform for every single one of you here tonight. Tampa, we love you. Thank you for your support! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Now, as fans may or may not know, what Zayn is referring to is FCW, aka Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory that was eventually turned into NXT. Though Zayn wasn't what you would call an FCW legend, as he made his biggest impact working matches in NXT proper, his time in Tampa clearly meant a lot to him, as he put over the city to a pretty incredible degree when few were aware of their connection outside of those FCW diehards in the crow almost a decade later.

Vince Russo isn't a fan of Sami Zayn's booking.

While the vast majority of WWE fans are excited to see Sami Zayn back on RAW, one who decidedly isn't is Vince Russo, the former WCW/TNA booker who is infamous for having a creative philosophy that runs counter to that of the general wrestling fandom.

Discussing his take on Zayn's usage both at the Royal Rumble on the subsequent edition of RAW on his Wrestle Binge podcast, Russo questioned what creative sees in the former Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion, as he views him more as a “little hand” in the middle of the card.

“I don't know what's worse bro, Sami Zayn at number 30 in the Rumble or Sami Zayn coming out here to book a main event at the end of the night. I don't know bro. Come on! The dude is a good little hand. That's what he is bro, that's his role. That's what any casual fan will tell you. When he came out 30th in the Rumble, then he comes out in this spot, and then he takes Drew McIntyre 25 minutes, come on guys. Like really, bro?” [From 6:15 onwards]

Does Sami Zayn fit the mold of a typical WWE Superstar? Eh, probably not; he's small, has a unique look, and even works matches in a fun, quirky way that makes him the perfect underdog babyface to throw at pretty much any heel, big or small. In the eyes of many, this uniqueness is what makes Zayn worthy of main-eventing WrestleMania, whereas Russo, well, he's talking about his booking instead of making the calls himself – do with that information as you will.