Top WWE Superstar and Intercontinental title contender Sami Zayn recently discussed some of the big changes in production he has seen since Triple H took over WWE as Chief Creative Officer. Zayn has been a part of WWE since 2013. He started in NXT and eventually got called up to the main roster. In that time he saw a lot of changes in WWE and watched it evolve.
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Sami Zayn was recently a guest on Superstar Crossover and talked about some of the changes in production he’s seen. One specific example he was asked about was his promo with Jackie Redmond. he stated on the subject:
“I don’t know, that might be a Triple H creative direction. I think they’re doing a lot, and you can actually see it in the production and some of the camera shots and all these things that we’re doing. I think they’re trying to really get outside the box lately and really let the people who are very, very talented and I’m talking about behind the scenes, that’s why they work here. I mean you can say whatever you want about WWE, but the people that work here are the best in the world at what they do.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcription
Sami Zayn Discusses the New WWE Production Style
Sami Zayn’s promo with Jackie Redmond was something different from what would be considered a typical WWE promo. It was from last month during his feud with Drew McIntyre. Zayn and Redmond were sitting in an empty arena before the show and Zayn started cutting a promo during the interview. He began to talk about how he had left the Rocky I era of his WWE career and entered his Rocky II era where he started winning these big matches.
A promo like that isn’t entirely different from a typical backstage promo. However, the promo would have been in the back in a locker room or by some boxes. Having it in the empty arena humanizes Zayn and helps to make him seem more like an underdog. Zayn went on to say how amazed he is by production and what they can do. He says he is often amazed by how the production team can lay down miles of wires, build sets, and get the arena ready for the show in such a quick time week after week.
Sami Zayn began to talk about how WWE in general has a lot more freedom now to explore and think outside the box. He thinks this is because Vince McMahon is gone and McMahon was stuck doing what he knew worked and only that. Zayn continued on Superstar Crossover:
“Now I think they’re just getting a little bit more room to explore because the box has kind of opened up a little. I don’t know what it is, it’s just that things under Vince for all those years, I think it was just like we found ourselves in a box because you find, but this is natural. When you find out what works you just do more of it and then you’ve accidentally created a little box for yourself. These really narrow parameters. But it’s because of success … success starts to invariably discard what doesn’t work and keep what does work. So that’s why you end up with these rigid sort of boxes sometimes.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcription
McMahon was the guy in charge of all aspects of WWE for so long and had a certain way he liked things. WWE became the biggest wrestling promotion in the world because of those ideas so it doesn’t make sense to change what is working. However, McMahon is no longer part of WWE after he was forced to retire from his role as Executive Chairman of the Board of TKO earlier this year.
With McMahon’s exit from WWE over the years his role has been taken over by Triple H with him being put in charge of basically everything in October. Triple H has brought a new life to WWE. The storylines are different and less predictable, the camera work has changed and WWE truly feels like it is evolving. Sami Zayn circled back to his interview and promo with Redmond. He said part of thinking outside the box is a new approach to interviews like his with Redmond. Sami Zayn continued:
“To answer your question about Jackie, it is just like a new approach to interviews with different styles and things like that. Some of it’s a little bit more sports-oriented. I thought it was pretty cool and I think it’s also that I’ve interviewed with her not just the one week when we launched the story, but she’s kind of been like a recurring thread, like, ‘Okay, where are you at now? And then this happened, so where’s your head now?’ And it’s kind of following the journey. I thought it was pretty cool. Anytime you get to experiment with stuff like that outside the box it’s fun.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcription
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Zayn has a big match coming this weekend, certainly his biggest match of the year. On Saturday, April 6, Zayn will challenge the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, GUNTHER on Night 1 of WrestleMania XL. Zayn is in his Rocky II era and isn’t about going the distance anymore, he is looking to win. Defeating GUNTHER would be a good way to show the world that the Zayn of old is gone and this new Zayn is someone to look out for.
WrestleMania XL will be held later this weekend at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on April 6-7. Both nights will be broadcast live on Peacock.
About WrestleMania XL
When: April 6-7, 2024
Where: Lincoln Financial Field (One Lincoln Financial Field Way, Philadelphia, PA 19148)
Pricing: Tickets available now at Ticketmaster
Broadcast Distribution: Peacock
About: WrestleMania returns to Philadelphia for the first time in 25 years and the very first time at Lincoln Financial Field on April 6th and 7th, 2024 for this 2-day event! Witness your favorite Superstars from Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown as they take the stage at the showcase of the immortals!
Have you noticed a change in WWE’s production? What is the one thing which you think has been the most noticeable? Are the changes for the better? Do you like interviews like Sami Zayn’s from the stands? Do you think Triple H is the driving force behind these changes or is it just because people like Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn are gone? Let us know on social media if you think the current Triple H could have taken the WWE to the same heights if he took over WWF in the ‘80s.
SOURCE: Superstar Crossover, Wrestling Inc.
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