Sami Zayn addresses WWE in-ring future
He isn’t putting a timeline on things, but Sami Zayn knows his in-ring career is closer to the end than the beginning.
The 41-year-old Zayn spoke with Witty Whittier this week and opened up about how grateful he is to be in the spot he’s in. He’s accomplished his childhood dream by making it as a professional wrestler. And though Zayn will always be driven by goals like becoming World Champion, he is making sure to appreciate however many years he has left in the ring.
“I remember several years ago being on a European tour thinking like, ‘I don’t know how many more of these there really are.’ When you’re in it, you think it’s just going to keep going forever,” Zayn said. “It’s kind of like when you’re in high school, you just feel like those years are going to last forever. But then when you’re an adult and you’ve been out of high school 10-15 years, like, ‘Man, high school was nothing.’ It’s a blip in your life.
“So I’ve been lucky that WWE and my time in this business has been more than a blip. But I realize that this time will probably be coming to an end within the next — I don’t want to put a number of years on it, but definitely closer to the end than the beginning. So I’m just very, very grateful to be a part of it still. It’s just not lost on me. It’s not lost on me. This is great.”
Zayn held the United States Championship before dropping the title to Trick Williams at WrestleMania 42. He told Witty Whittier that there was a little bit of a “strange” vibe around WrestleMania this year. His character was in a weird place with fans starting to give him negative reactions. And other elements like Pat McAfee being added to the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton build contributed to the vibe of the event as well.
“My character at the time of WrestleMania was a bit more undefined than it’s been in many, many years,” Zayn said. “Usually, I walk into Mania and I know exactly where I’m at and what I’m doing. This year, it’s like this character shift and this sea change has been going on at the same time with Trick kind of rising and me getting these — I would say polarizing reactions, but it’s kind of started to swing all the way in the other direction now to where I’m unliked and I’m kind of, as a character, saying like, ‘What did I even do here? Why is this happening?’ and all of that kind of stuff. Week-to-week, audience-to-audience is all different, so it felt a little less sure-footed, you know what I mean?
“And then the vibe around WrestleMania was a little strange this year, like with the Pat McAfee thing being added at the last minute. I don’t know. There was just so many things that felt a little strange about this year’s WrestleMania.”
Zayn said WrestleMania in general can feel overwhelming sometimes, but it’s a privilege to be busy and have a packed schedule.
A U.S. title rematch between Williams and Zayn is taking place this Saturday at WWE Backlash. Before that, tonight’s SmackDown will include a segment with Williams holding a funeral for the Gingerbread Man mascot that Zayn beat down last week.
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.