Sami Zayn has won the Undisputed WWE Championship twice this year, but he still has a special fondness for his time in The Bloodline.
During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Zayn was asked what the high point of his career was before he won the world title. He picked his run in The Bloodline and said the storyline could still be what he is best remembered for 20 years from now.
“Probably Bloodline stuff,” Zayn said. “I think that’s probably what I’d be best remembered for if my career ended before I won the world title or whatever.” He added that people might still remember him most for it 20 years from now, if they remember anything about him by then. “But I was also just very proud of it,” Zayn said. “But I’ve had so many things throughout my career. I’m just giving you the answer of what I think would be best remembered, but also simultaneously something I’m extremely proud of, but there’s a ton of stuff in my career I’m extremely proud of.”
Zayn also revealed that his role in the group was originally supposed to be much smaller. He said the idea was for him to stay close to the faction as the story built toward a potential title match against Roman Reigns. But his relationship with Jey Uso started getting more TV time, and the plans were adjusted as a result.
Zayn said the ability to improvise was key to the success of that run. Some unplanned interactions ended up carrying over into later episodes of SmackDown.
One example he pointed to was the famous “Ucey” segment, in which he got Jey to break character on camera. He said drawing those reactions wasn’t his original goal and praised the way Reigns handled the moment.
Zayn’s history with The Bloodline is set to be revisited. He and Reigns will face each other again at Crown Jewel on November 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This time, both men will come in as world champions. Reigns holds the World Heavyweight Championship, while Zayn has the Undisputed WWE title.