Kevin Nash congratulates Sami Zayn on WWE title win: ‘You’ve endured a lot’
On his Kliq This podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash made sure to take a moment and congratulate Sami Zayn on becoming Undisputed WWE Champion.
Monday’s Kliq This was the first new episode Nash has recorded since Zayn won the WWE title at Night of Champions. Nash said he — like a lot of people in wrestling — was happy to see Zayn be rewarded with the first World Championship of his WWE career, especially with how Zayn was able to stay true to himself over the years.
“I just wanted to personally say congratulations to Sami Zayn on becoming the World Champion. You busted your ass, you’ve endured a lot of things, you’ve been told to watch your political stance,” Nash said. “You’ve jumped through some hoops, and I’m glad that you’ve stayed in there, persevered. And I’m happy to see you get that. And there’s a lot of people and a lot of the boys that are happy that you’ve been rewarded.”
Zayn’s personal stances have included raising money for relief efforts in Syria and showing support for Palestinian rights.
Nash went on to say that, while pro wrestling might be a work, winning the World Championship is as real as the industry gets. It means those in charge trust you to be the face of the company for however long your reign lasts.
“Until you become World Champion, you don’t know what it’s like to be a World Champion. And when they hand you that belt for the first time, it’s as real as our sports entertainment will get,” Nash said. “So I know that you had that feeling because I got it in Madison Square Garden. And it’s special because we all, in some form or fashion, watched this business as kids. And even though it’s a work and it’s this and it’s that, it’s still the pinnacle. And with that strap, belt, championship, whatever the f*** they want to call it, it signifies, if nothing else, somebody that they trust in and put in a position to — whether it be a month, a week, 10 years — to be the face of the company. So congratulations, Sami.”
Sami Zayn’s first WWE Championship defense —
Zayn won the Undisputed WWE Championship in a triple threat match at Night of Champions on June 27. Tonight on Raw, former champion Cody Rhodes gets his one-on-one rematch. The match will say a lot about WWE’s booking plans for SummerSlam. Original plans for the PLE had Rhodes defending the title against CM Punk. We’ll see if that’s still the direction or if Zayn’s title win represents a shift in creative.
“it just tells me volumes about Cody,” Nash said about Rhodes dropping the title to Zayn. “You know, Cody has no problem putting anybody over.”
After having been gone from WWE television since shortly after WrestleMania 42, Punk is heavily rumored to make his return on Raw tonight given that the show is happening in the Chicago area.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.