Sami Zayn Reflects On Life As El Generico Before Joining WWE

Sami Zayn recently appeared as a guest on the “Out Of Character with Ryan Satin” podcast for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling.

During the discussion, the WWE Tag-Team Champion spoke about his old El Generico masked character, and the lengths he would go to to keep his identity a secret.

“When I would wear a mask, there were times that the mask was tied too tight,” he said. “You would see a tiny bit of my hair in the back and when I would see that on screen, it would drive me crazy.”

Zayn continued, “It’s almost like if you saw little human fingers sticking out of R2-D2. You’re like, ‘Oh, there’s a little guy there. That’s not a robot!’ It takes you out of it. When I went into the States, for those first six or seven years. I saw almost no leaks of what my face actually looked like. Also, the fans weren’t seeking it out because it does kill the allure a little bit.”

Check out the complete interview at Apple.com, or via the YouTube player embedded below. H/T to WrestlingInc.com for transcribing the above quotes.