Sami Zayn said he got what he needed at WWE Crown Jewel even in defeat, and that was the respect of Roman Reigns.
On the Crown Jewel Post-Show, which aired on WWE’s YouTube channel, the Undisputed WWE Champion said he now expects the same treatment from everyone.
“I wasn’t going to walk in as the WWE Champion into Riyadh with the OTC, the biggest star of the last 20 years, I was not going to walk in without getting respect,” Zayn said. “I might have said some stuff. I might have did some stuff to Roman because I needed the OTC. I didn’t want a half measure. I wanted Roman at his best. Everyone saw it. He saw it. He felt it. He knows it. It took everything he had. Everything he had to put me away. But I got what I wanted. No, no, no. I didn’t get what I wanted. I wanted to win. I did. But I got what I needed. I got the respect that I deserve from that man. If that man, the biggest star in this industry over the last 20 years, can show me that respect, I expect it across the board for the last real good guy going forward.”
Zayn and Reigns headlined Crown Jewel on Saturday night at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship on the line.
In a match that went 24 minutes, Reigns hit two spears in a row to defeat Zayn. With the win, Reigns became the third wrestler to win the title, after Cody Rhodes in 2024 and Seth Rollins in 2025.
As soon as the match ended, Zayn offered Reigns a handshake, but Reigns hugged him instead. Triple H then came to the ring, where he gave the Undisputed WWE Championship back to Zayn and handed the Crown Jewel title belt and ring to Reigns.
Zayn was referring directly to the build to the match. On Monday’s Raw at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Zayn demanded that Reigns give him the attention he felt he deserved. He then attacked the World Heavyweight Champion at the end of the show.
It was their first one-on-one match since Elimination Chamber 2023 in Montreal. Reigns also won that match to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Zayn won his second Undisputed WWE Championship on SmackDown when he defeated CM Punk with help from Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Kevin Owens.