Sami Zayn Believes Johnny Knoxville Match Was Never The Plan For WrestleMania

Sami Zayn has revealed that he believes his WrestleMania 38 match with Johnny Knoxville was never the initial plan.

Speaking with the Dallas Morning News, the former Intercontinental Champion said he didn’t believe this was in the cards for Mania, but everything changed with his partnership with Knoxville working better than expected.

Zayn revealed:

“I don’t think this was ever the plan for WrestleMania. I think he was here doing some stuff for ‘Jackass Forever,’ doing the Royal Rumble and promoting his movie – and that’s all well and good. Then, he showed up here [on SmackDown], and – I’m going to say this. I don’t like him. I have a problem with him, and I’m going to beat him up. So, let me just get that out of the way because I’m about to say something kind of nice about him.”

“Every single time I was in the ring with him, every time he snuck in the ring or he did what he did or whenever his music hit, it was, by far, the biggest reaction on the show that night – and I know because I was in the ring for all of them.”

Zayn went on to talk about how the fans’ reaction to Knoxville led to the WrestleMania 38 match coming to fruition:

“So, the fans love him, and I think what happened is there is such a gravitation toward him and the response was so good that I think it ended up pushing this story further, which has both been a good thing and a bad thing for me because, you know, now I have to deal with all his shenanigans and his … ugh … all the stuff that comes with dealing with Johnny Knoxville.”

Sami Zayn continued on to express excitement as a performer for the match and how he feels WWE fans and fans of Jackass are quite similar, saying:

“But, yeah, that performer side of me for sure is excited because I know the fans are excited, and I know they are getting a kick. I know every time his music hits they are going to go crazy. And I think he is a great foil for my character, and I’m a good foil for him. He’s a great prankster, and I’m the kind of villain that you want to see seething. I think it’s a natural fit for that, and he’s a natural fit for WWE. His fans, the world of ‘Jackass’ and the world of WWE, it’s like peas in a pod. So, I am happy to be doing this, and I think I’m going to be even happier when I’m standing over him after the bell has rung and I’ve decimated him in the middle of Dallas.” 

Sami Zayn will face Johnny Knoxville on WrestleMania 38 Sunday on April 2. The show will be available on the WWE Network and Peacock.

For more information and details on WrestleMania 38, click here.

Quotes via Fightful

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• Johnny Knoxville
• Plan
• WrestleMania 38
• Sami Zayn

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