Sami Zayn Reveals Moment He Realized He Might Never Become WWE World Champion

WWE

Sami Zayn has opened up the moment he realized he might never become WWE World Champion – and then achieving that feat a few months later.

Zayn won the Undisputed WWE Championship this past weekend after months and months of a storyline based on the fact he’d never won a world title.

Speaking in an interview on today’s WWE Raw Recap, Zayn commented on what it feels like to finally be champion, saying:

“I’m still processing it a lot, believe it or not. It’s kinda hard to fully take in. But I suppose if I had to answer in one word – it feels just… great. It really does. It feels like the weight of the world’s off my shoulders.

“I think anyone who’s paid attention has seen that I kinda drove myself to the edge of sanity a little bit there for a while just by putting so much pressure on myself to win this thing. And it’s here, and I feel like I can just breathe. It feels great.”

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Zayn then went onto discuss a couple of his ‘nearly’ moments – a loss to Roman Reigns in Zayn’s hometown of Montreal at WWE Elimination Chamber 2023, and then a loss to Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble 2026 in Saudi Arabia this past January.

Zayn noted that after the McIntyre match, and during his feud with Trick Williams in the months that followed, he realized the door might have closed on him ever becoming world champion.

He explained:

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t lose the faith. I certainly didn’t lose the faith after the match in Montreal (against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2023). It was a heartbreaker, no doubt, but I thought, ‘This is the closest I’ve come, so I’ll just get closer and closer till 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… I felt like maybe I’d missed my window. And I couldn’t give up faith, but it was the first time my faith was shook. It was, if I’m being totally honest.

“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. These are my peers.

“And that’s almost what made it more maddening – why them and why not me? Why is it so close and I just can’t get my hands on it? And after losing at the Rumble, that’s where I think when you saw me kind of losing it or crashing out backstage over the months. It’s because I think what was happening was, maybe the realization was going on deep down that maybe I’d missed that window.

“And I was starting to see the sea change with Trick, and the fans getting behind Trick, and they kind of moved on from my story. And they were into Oba and Je’Von and Bron Breakker. There was this idea that, ‘Oh my god, their window is opening and I think mine might have closed.’

“And I’m only saying this now, I’m only realizing it now that this (belt) is actually on my shoulder. But I think that’s a big reason why I was slipping. But I’m really proud of myself for never changing, for staying true to my guns.

“I think the biggest thing is the way I won it. That’s a really big deal to me. I didn’t cheat, I didn’t knock out a referee, there was nothing nefarious about it. I rolled him up with a wrestling hold and I won. Middle of the ring. Just like I said 10 years ago, ‘I’m gonna win this the right way,’ and I did. So I’m immensely proud of myself for that.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

For a spoiler on Zayn’s upcoming WWE Championship plans, click here.

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