Sami Zayn fired back at critics who say he doesn’t look like a WWE Champion.
Speaking on the latest episode of Busted Open Radio, the Undisputed WWE Champion said looks, physique, and ring work are just different tools, and the only goal is getting people to care.
Zayn captured the title for the second time by beating CM Punk on the September 11 SmackDown in Mexico City. His second reign has reignited the debate over what WWE’s top champion should look like.
For Zayn, though, there’s no one formula for getting there.
“‘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.”
Zayn also pointed to different chapters of his career to drive the point home, saying his early NXT run connected with fans through his wrestling while the Bloodline story did it through storytelling.
“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.”
