WWE Superstar Sami Zayn recently spoke about what it meant to him to wrestle in Saudi Arabia again. This past weekend saw WWE return to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for Night Of Champions. The WWE Tag Team Champions Zayn and Kevin Owens defended their championships against Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Zayn and Owens came out on top partially because of some help from The Usos.
Night Of Champions marked the first time Zayn wrestled in Saudi Arabia since a 2014 WWE house show. It was also the first time he has visited the Middle East since 2016. While appearing as a guest on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves & Kevin Patrick, Zayn talked about returning to Saudi Arabia and what it meant to him. He stated the following:
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“I’m Arabic, I’m Muslim. That’s my part of the world. I understand those people. Those are my people. When I went there, I got to go to Mecca, which is just a surreal experience. And I also saw my uncles that I hadn’t seen in 25 years, I had cousins that I hadn’t seen in 25 years, I met my great-uncle who I didn’t even know existed. So it was pretty heavy in a lot of ways.” H/T To Wrestling Inc. For Transcription
SAMI ZAYN ON HIS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME TRIP TO SAUDI ARABIA
Zayn’s trip wasn’t just an opportunity to return to his homeland of the Middle East and see family members. It was also an opportunity to visit Mecca which is the holiest of Muslim cities. All able-bodied Muslims are encouraged to try to make a pilgrimage called a hajj to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
During the event in Jeddah, Sami Zayn received a huge ovation from the crowd when he came to the ring in traditional Saudi attire and began speaking in their native language. Even though WWE has been to Saudi Arabia many times over the past few years, Zayn has not been a part of those events.
While Sami Zayn wished he was a part of those events he is happy was able to make the trip now. He also spoke to Corey Graves about why he thinks he would have been a good fit for the past WWE events in Saudi Arabia. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion continued:
“I always felt like I would have been the natural representative for those shows [in Saudi Arabia] and I just wasn’t. So it was good to finally be put in that position, and in a main event spot, and opposite Roman and Solo, and the story that’s kind of been carrying the company for a minute now. It felt like it all just kind of came together perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to go back.”
An Amazing Experience Is Somehow Controversial
As wonderful an experience as this has been for Zayn it’s not without controversy. During the podcast, Sami Zayn commented about a possible reason why it had been so long before WWE let him go over. Part of that comment was removed.
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WrestlingNews.co originally posted an article on the podcast. However, Wrestling Inc. discovered somewhere along the way a portion of the statement was removed from the podcast. The original statement is as follows after being asked about the trip to Saudi Arabia. Zayn stated as follows:
“It was a really, really, really kind of a heavy trip, to be honest. There was a lot that went into it. First of all, the fact that I haven’t been there in a few years, and that there’s been so much speculation as to why I’m not going and what’s the political reasoning, this and that. I won’t get into all of it, but I’ll tell you 99.9% of what you’ve read online about this subject, completely fabricated, people assuming things and then running with those assumptions and adding on to them.
It’s wild. I think it’s anytime they can’t get a concrete answer, that’s kind of what tends to happen. I think that’s like human nature, almost. It’s been years since I’ve been back to the Middle East. I think the last time I was there was 20, maybe 16, in Dubai, possibly, so it’s been a little while.” H/T Wrestlingnews.co
However, everything between “…haven’t been there in a few years” and “I think the last time I was there …” was removed. The reasons behind the removal are not known. However, Zayn stated that the rumors about why he didn’t go years prior were mostly not true.
Some of the rumors Zayn is referring to is that if he went his life would be in danger. Zayn is of Syrian descent, and there were previously strained relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia. However, Syria returned to the Arab League recently, so things are currently better between the two countries.
While Sami Zayn was interested in attending WWE’s recent events in the country over the last several years, he was not invited to do. However, the improved diplomatic relationship appears to have changed matters. Maybe WWE wanted to avoid any potential issues they feared would’ve arisen.
What did you think about Sami Zayn wrestling in Saudi Arabia? Did the whole opening of his match bring a tear to your eye? Will Zayn become a permanent member of future Saudi Arabia WWE events? Let us know why you think a portion of Zayn’s statement was removed on our social media.
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Sources: Wrestling Inc., WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves & Kevin Patrick, WrestlingNews.co, Wrestling Inc., Britannica
