Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn has opened up about the emotional journey that led to finally capturing WWE’s top prize, admitting there was a point where he genuinely feared his opportunity had passed him by.
Speaking on the RAW Recap podcast, Zayn reflected on the setbacks he endured before winning the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions 2026, revealing that his loss to Drew McIntyre at January’s Royal Rumble was the moment his confidence was shaken the most.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t lose faith, and I certainly didn’t lose faith after the match in Montreal. I’m not going to say it wasn’t a heartbreaker, because it was, no doubt. But I thought, ‘This is the closest I’ve come, so I’ll just get closer and closer until I get there.’
“The one that really did my head in a little bit was coming up short against Drew this past January at the Royal Rumble. Because after that one, that’s when I was already starting to feel like maybe I had missed my window. I couldn’t give up faith, but it was the first time my faith was shook, if I’m being totally honest.”
Despite those doubts, Zayn said he never questioned whether he belonged alongside WWE’s biggest stars.
“I knew I had the talent. I knew I had everything. I knew I was just as good as any of these guys—Drew, Roman, Cody, Seth. And the proof is you’ve seen me mix it up in the ring with all of them. You’ve seen my body of work. There’s no question in my mind that these are my peers.
“That’s almost what made it more maddening. Why them and why not me? Why was it so close, and I just couldn’t get my hands on it?”
Zayn also explained that the disappointment of the Royal Rumble loss began to manifest itself in the months that followed, as he struggled to come to terms with the possibility that his championship dream might never become reality.
“After losing at the Rumble, I think that’s where you saw me kind of losing it or crashing out backstage over the months. I think what was happening was maybe the realization was setting in deep down that I’d missed that window.”
Fortunately for Zayn, that realization proved to be premature, as he ultimately fulfilled his lifelong dream by capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions, completing one of the company’s most compelling underdog journeys in recent memory.
