WWE veteran Sami Zayn spoke with the Toronto Sun about various topics, including what he still hopes to achieve in his career with the company.
Zayn said, “Well, somebody said this to me, and I feel like this is kind of where I’m at. I feel like I’m on the 99th floor, which is an extremely hard place to get to. And I just need to get to the hundredth, you know what I mean? I’ve already done so much more than I ever thought I would as a kid, as — even when I signed my WWE contract, and then even after being in WWE for years. I’ve just accomplished so much more than I ever thought I would on so many different levels, and I’ve got so many uh great experiences. For me, this is all gravy at this point. But there still is something to like, ‘Hey, getting on that hundredth floor would be nice.’ So for sure, winning the world title is the elusive one. I wouldn’t mind winning that one. If I don’t ever win it, that’s okay. Because then I’m still in pretty good company as, in my opinion, one of the better guys to ever have done this without winning the world title. If you look at my peers who are all guys that — let’s say we’re all on the same level? They’ve all won it, and I’m sort of like the the one holdout. So you know, one way or the other, it’s all good. I try not to look at it that way. I’m weirdly a goal-oriented person, but also not. It’s, ‘I’d like to be there,’ but that’s it’s the journey not the destination. That old cliche, but I do believe strongly in that.”
On being viewed as a versatile performer:
“I appreciate the kind words. And what you said is really what I’ve always worked for, to be honest. More than being like the world champion, I always just had an affinity for versatility. And I always believed, even like when I was — you know, because I’ve always kind of seen myself as a craftsman. Because the guys that I looked up to were craftsman when I was a kid. And the guys that I studied breaking into the business were craftsmen. The old world journey of the craftsman was a journeyman, and somebody who had to cross the globe to hone their craft and learn the styles of all different parts of the world to become a complete pro. And that’s what the independents did for me. I know how to work match one, I know how to work a main event in Tokyo. Or I know how to work a comedy match right before intermission at an independent [show] in Topeka. That’s what I go for. I want that versatility to be my calling card. So I really appreciate you seeing it that way… I think when it’s all said and done, I hope that that — not that I’m a big legacy guy either. But that’s what I want to be my calling card. It’s not like, ‘That guy won the world title!’ It’s like, ‘Man, that guy could do it all. He could do comedy, he could act, he could cut promos, he could work. He could have these killer five-star main event matches, he could give you a consistently great match on television every single week.’ That’s it for me.”
You can check out Zayn’s comments in the video below.
