Zayn Set for Major Championship Match in Saudi Arabia
Sami Zayn is on the cusp of a significant career milestone as he prepares to compete for a WWE championship this Saturday at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. He faces a formidable challenge against Cody Rhodes and current champion Gunther in a bout that was recently set up on ‘Friday Night SmackDown.’ The match’s genesis involved a controversial officiating role for Zayn, where a rapid count during a previous bout between Rhodes and Gunther drew criticism. Following demands for a reset with a new official, Gunther’s subsequent attack on Zayn, and Zayn’s retaliatory actions, the current championship match was officially booked, presenting Zayn with one of his toughest contests to date.
Zayn Reflects on Personal Significance of Potential Victory
Despite the high stakes, Zayn expressed optimism and excitement when discussing the upcoming event. “Good,” he stated when asked about his current disposition. “Look, anytime you are main-eventing a big premium live event, the fact that Saudi Arabia is always a little special for me just being from this part of the world, obviously. And the fact that you’re main-eventing for a WWE championship.”
He elaborated on the unique opportunity, saying, “I don’t think there’s a better spot to be in, except being the champion, which is the goal here. But besides from being the champion, it’s the best spot you can kind of ask for. I really can’t complain.”
A Historic Opportunity for a Superstar of Syrian Descent
Zayn, born in Canada to parents who emigrated from Syria, has the potential to make history. If he secures the championship, he would become the first WWE world champion of Syrian descent. He acknowledged the profound significance of a potential victory in Riyadh.
“I think it’s kind of one of those things that would kind of be hard to process. I truly don’t know. I don’t know how the fans would react,” Zayn mused. “I hope they would enjoy it but you never know because my character right now is a little polarizing – I truly don’t know. But I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of like cultural and historical kind of significance that would kind of maybe hit me after the fact.”
He added, “From a sentimental point of view, for sure, I think it would be kind of awesome. I think it would be a big cultural moment, actually. I don’t think about it. I kind of dismiss it a lot at this point because we come to Saudi a lot. A lot has been made of the fact that I’m Arab or I’m Muslim or whatever. But growing up, that was not the case. It was not like this was a common thing or something that you could ever even dream. I couldn’t have dreamt that this would happen. So, yeah, that would be a pretty big deal I think.”
Considering Future Matchups and The Bloodline’s Influence
The possibility of Zayn capturing the title has also sparked speculation about potential future matchups, particularly with a hypothetical King of the Ring victory for Jey Uso. Such a scenario could lead to Uso choosing between challenging Zayn or current world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns.
When contemplating a potential confrontation with Uso for the championship, Zayn appeared intrigued, citing his extensive history with The Bloodline stable. “I thought about it a little bit but I really try to focus on one thing at a time. But I do think because of the fact that The Bloodline is reunited on ‘Raw’ with a slightly different skew now because Jacob adds a slightly different dimension but it begs the kind of question, the elephant in the room, which is, ‘Where does Sami Uso lie in all that?’ Because we’re on separate shows, I don’t know if and when that situation, that question, manifests itself on our television show,” he explained.
Zayn concluded, “I think one way or another it’d be interesting and that would be a really interesting thing. I think it would be very, very interesting actually. But we just gotta see where the chips fall. But I do think, if a scenario like that comes to be, I think it would lead to some interesting week-to-week programming where you kinda gotta see how this unfolds.”
Event Details
Night of Champions is scheduled to take place this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and will be available on ESPN.
