WWE Intercontinental Championship contender Sami Zayn recently spoke about finding himself in an underdog position at WrestleMania once again and always fighting to prove himself. The longtime WWE Superstar has proven himself as one of WWE’s most beloved wrestlers. However, his position has not come easily to him, and he’s fought hard every step of the way.
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Sami Zayn was recently a guest on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and talked about his next big opponent in GUNTHER and always being seen as an underdog. The battle to overcome his doubters even extends to his personal life according to Zayn. He stated the following:
“I feel like, in some ways, this is a recurring theme throughout my career, maybe throughout my life in fact. It’s just like this constant battle to prove yourself, and no matter what you do, it feels like it’s never quite enough to prove it.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Sami Zayn on Being Doubted by Critics
Zayn also voiced frustration with constantly being doubted by his critics. He would love to have the backing of the fans and have them believe in him enough to know that on any given night he can beat anyone he is in the ring with.
Zayn has risen to a very prominent position on the WWE roster in the last few years. The storyline which put him in that position is undoubtedly the Bloodline storyline. He carried that storyline for a long time and helped to make it the most popular on TV.
The Bloodline storyline eventually led to Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn meeting in the ring. No one believed that Zayn had any chance of beating Reigns, but Zayn gave him a hell of a fight and was one of the closest people to dethroning Reigns.
Sami Zayn has accepted that being the underdog is just his lot in life. He will just always be doubted and it will give him another opportunity to prove his doubters wrong yet again. He continued on the subject:
“Maybe I’m just one of those people that will always kind of be counted out a little bit. But I’ve learned to make it work for myself throughout my career, so it’s not the first time I’ve been told, ‘You can’t.’ And I also don’t think it’ll be the first time I prove people wrong, because I think that title’s coming home to me in Philadelphia.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Can Zayn Overcome GUNTHER?
The title Sami Zayn is referring to is the Intercontinental Championship. It happens to be around the waist of the second most dominant champion in WWE, GUNTHER. Zayn won a grueling Gauntlet match to challenge GUNTHER for his championship at WrestleMania.
GUNTHER is the longest reigning IC champion of all time and defeated everyone put before him. Zayn knows this, but he doesn’t care and is confident that he has what it takes to beat GUNTHER. He finds himself as the underdog again and again thinks he will prove everyone wrong.
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This isn’t to say that Sami Zayn doesn’t have a lot of respect for GUNTHER and his abilities in the ring. However, he brings up that this is not the first time these two men have found themselves in the ring in a similar situation. Zayn is quick to acknowledge that the last time they were in this situation Zayn dethroned GUNTHER. Zayn said on his WrestleMania XL opponent:
“I don’t know how else to say it without being reductive here, but he’s just really, really really good. He’s just very good, and I’ve known it for a very long time, but I think he’s managed to continue to exceed, continue to ascend to higher and higher levels. I thought he was really good 10, 12 years ago when we got in the ring … He was a prominent champion [in wXw] and I defeated him and I ended that reign, so I’m wondering if somehow all these years later, history does repeat itself, where he’s become this dominant Intercontinental Champion and I’m the one who ends that reign as well. So even back then, he was incredible.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
When looking at the match on paper it doesn’t look like Zayn has a chance, but Zayn is a real wildcard. He is no stranger to facing challenging opponents and knows how to beat them. However, GUNTHER has to be one of the most challenging of his career besides Reigns. He has a victory over him already from his days in wXw and that hint of doubt in GUNTHER’s mind may be all it takes.
WrestleMania is quickly approaching as it is next weekend, April 6 and 7. We don’t know which night the match will take place just yet. Other matches will include Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins, World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre and Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch to name the most anticipated matches.
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!
Do you see Zayn as the constant underdog? Has he become less of an underdog in the last two years or about the same? Do you think Sami Zayn having to constantly prove himself benefits him? Do you think he will beat GUNTHER at WrestleMania? Which match are you most excited about at WrestleMania XL? Let us know on social media what you think the biggest upset of the weekend will be.
SOURCE: Wrestling Inc., Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Wrestling Inc.
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