Sami Zayn knows he doesn’t fit everyone’s picture of what WWE’s top champion is supposed to look like. He also doesn’t seem particularly interested in changing himself to fit it.
While speaking on Busted Open Radio, the new Undisputed WWE Champion addressed the idea that he doesn’t have the traditional look associated with someone carrying WWE’s biggest title. For Zayn, muscles, moves and even the way a wrestler looks are all trying to accomplish the exact same thing: make somebody watching care.
That’s really Zayn’s entire argument. He isn’t claiming physique has no place in wrestling. He just doesn’t believe there is one formula everyone has to follow to reach the top. Early in NXT, Zayn got people invested through his matches. Years later, his involvement with The Bloodline became one of the biggest stories of his career without needing him to suddenly look like a bodybuilder.
“’Oh, you don’t look like a typical champion.’ All these things that we talk about—moves or even looks, like looking like a champion—those are all just tools. The reason you get jacked is part of that appeal. At the end of the day, it’s getting people to care. How you do it, it doesn’t matter. Everyone has a different way to get there. If you get people to care, that’s the game.
I’m doing it at the highest level now as champion. I’ve gotten a lot of people to care about a lot of stories in my day. That’s some of the stuff I’m more proud of instead of the great matches I’ve had. Like people telling me, ‘Man, my brother never watched it, then he saw your stuff,’ or I get people going, ‘The Bloodline stuff got me back into wrestling after years.’ ‘Your match with Cesaro in NXT…’ That’s the biggest badge of honor I can wear.
In the case of The Bloodline, I did it with storytelling. In the early days of NXT, I did it with my wrestling. Those are all different tools to get people to care. So how I look doesn’t matter. If I can bring you in, that’s the game.”
Now he has another piece of evidence sitting on his shoulder. Zayn defeated CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship on the September 11 episode of SmackDown, and the decision immediately produced plenty of debate over whether WWE had picked the right person to carry its top title.
Vince Russo was among those who went after the decision. Speaking on the Coach and Bro Show, Russo argued that Zayn simply isn’t someone he believes casual viewers will tune in to see as WWE Champion.
“A casual wrestling fan is never, in a million years, going to watch a product with Sami Zayn as the champion. Nothing against Sami. Great father, great guy, great husband, etc. I am talking about the casual fan. I speak for the casual fan.”
Russo went even further by comparing Zayn to D’Lo Brown during the Attitude Era. Brown may have been well-liked backstage, but Russo argued that nobody would have seriously considered having Steve Austin lose WWE’s top championship to him.
“CM Punk likes Sami Zayn, but CM Punk has no problem doing this. Guys, guess who was well liked in the locker room in the Attitude Era? D’Lo Brown. Very well liked by everybody. You guys think Steve Austin is dropping the belt to D’Lo Brown? Do you think in a million years that would even be a thought in D’Lo’s head? Because he knows what his role is on the card.
From a management standpoint, you think anyone in my position or running the show will approach Steve Austin and say, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re dropping the belt to D’Lo Brown tonight’?”
Russo believes putting the championship on Zayn will push casual fans further away. Zayn’s answer to the larger criticism is almost the complete opposite: if people care enough to watch your matches, follow your stories and remember them years later, then you’ve already done the job. He doesn’t look like everyone’s idea of a WWE Champion. Zayn’s point is that getting them invested enough to argue about him being champion might matter a whole lot more.
Is Sami Zayn right that making people care matters more than having the traditional WWE Champion look? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
