A recent episode of WWE’s RAW Recap podcast featured Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Zayn’s thoughts about his loss to Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE title at this past January’s Royal Rumble 2026 event in Saudi Arabia and how the loss was the first time that his faith in winning the WWE title was shaken.
“I mean, 100 percent but I’ll be honest, I didn’t lose the faith and I certainly didn’t lose the faith after the match in Montreal (against Roman Reigns). 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 (McIntyre) 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 had missed my window, and I couldn’t give up faith but it was the first time my faith was shook… 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 (Reigns), Cody (Rhodes), Seth (Rollins) 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, you know, that these are my peers, and that’s also what made it more maddening is 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 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 had missed that window, and I was starting to see the sea change with Trick (Williams), and the fans getting behind Trick and they kind of moved on from my story, and they were into Oba (Femi) and Je’Von (Evans) and Bron Breakker and there was this idea that, oh my God, it’s like their window is opening and mine might have closed, and I’m only saying this now, only kind of realizing because this is actually on my shoulders. But I think that’s a big reason why I was slipping. I was slipping, but, I’m really proud of myself for never changing, for staying true to my guns and 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 in a wrestling hold and I won, in the middle of the ring, just like I said 10 years ago, when I said, ‘I’m gonna win this the right way,’ and I did, and so I’m immensely proud of myself for that.”
Zayn also gave his thoughts about how he did not realize how damaging that loss at Royal Rumble was for his underdog story until he won the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions 2026. Zayn also gave his thoughts about how he had felt his story about being the underdog who wins the big one had been burned out.
“I think I only pieced it together now once the weight of the world came off my shoulders and was replaced with the weight of this championship gold. That’s when I kind of realized how damaging that last loss at the Rumble was. Because I realized, oh no, I burnt this card. I can’t play this hand again. The cinderella story of the underdog who finally wins the big one, it’s been played now. I had it in Montreal, I had it here in Riyadh. You can’t ask them to come along a third time at that point. Because even in reality, it was actually like the ninth of 10th time, at that point. But, that story really getting to marinate and really being the crux of this story, the focal point of the story going into the match, you can’t tell that story again. Because, you know, they just won’t buy it again. They’ve already been on board and you know, you can only ask them to come on the train for so long and that’s why I mean what I say when I’m talking about the ride or dies because for as much as, you know, I like to pretend that it didn’t bother me at all. Some of the fans turning their backs or getting fed up with me or my story or whatever, yeah, it hurt, it hurt, and the fans that didn’t jump off, that means a lot to me. The ride-or-die fans that stayed, it means a lot to me, and there’s a part of me that my feelings are or were very hurt by these fans that are turning their backs on me. But at the same time, part of me kind of understood it because it’s like, how many times can I ask them to stay and come up short? That’s what I really think about it. That’s when I access what I call higher-plane Sami, when I think on a more deeper and spiritual level. But on the surface, I’m just like anyone else. I get my feelings hurt when I devote my entire life to trying to win for these people, and then half of them are jumping off board and going, oh, we’re done. That hurts man, that hurts. My whole thing is my connection with the fans. Some people, their thing is this or that or they’re cool or they’re — whatever — a counterculture. Everybody’s got their little thing. My thing was the fans and the connection of the fans. So, to lose half of them or whatever, man, I don’t know. I like to pretend I don’t care and I like to pretend like, ‘Oh, go ahead, boo if you wanna boo. Think I care? Got my ride or dies’ but man, I can’t sit here and pretend it doesn’t hurt. But, it hurts a little less now that I got this, you know?”
Zayn also gave his thoughts about him winning the Undisputed WWE Championship for the first time in his WWE career at Night of Champions 2026 in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m still processing it, believe it or not. It’s kind of hard to fully take in. But, I guess if I had to answer in one word, it feels great. It really does. It feels like the weight of the world off my shoulders. I think anyone who’s paid attention has seen that I kind of drove myself to the edge of sanity there for a little 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.”
Zayn also gave his thoughts about him feeling a bit relieved that 2026 King of the Ring winner Oba Femi is not going after his title for SummerSlam 2026 due to him being tied up with Brock Lesnar for the event.
“You know, I’ll be honest — this is not to say I’m looking past Oba (Femi) whatsoever, trust me. But, my head was more wrapped up in just like, hey, can I get a minute? Can I just get a second here? 10-plus years chasing this, can I have just one moment? But no, of course, you have to rise to the occasion. I don’t care who the challenger is. I don’t care if it’s Brock (Lesnar), I don’t care if it’s Roman (Reigns), I don’t care if it’s Oba. I’ve been in the ring with monsters. I’m not saying it would be a cakewalk, but, I’m not gonna back down either. I don’t mean to sound bravado here. I’m not trying to make myself seem more courageous than I am. He is very imposing; there is no doubt but I don’t care who it is. That’s the thing about being WWE Champion. You got to. Was I a little relieved? I mean, yeah, sure. Sure. But, whoever, whoever. That’s gotta be part of it. That’s part of the game. That’s what you want… It’s nice to see Oba going off with Brock. That’s nice.”
Zayn also gave his thoughts about what he wants people to remember the most for his legacy for his pro wrestling career once he retires.
“There’s just like a depth of texture of emotion to some of these stories (in my career) that I think — I hope… maybe I’m blowing my own head up bigger than it needs to be right now but I feel like when it’s all said and done and if and when my career is ever looked back upon, I think only later will you start to see… this really ran the gambit here. There was a lot of range here and there was a lot of complexity here and you never really get to take it all in because it’s always moving from one thing to the next. But when I actually stop and think about it, and trust me, winning the WWE Championship will make you stop and think about it at some point, so you know, once I won it, I got to stop and think about the ride and I’m just like, man, the highs and the lows and the quality of these stories and the quality of these matches, what a distinct and unique kind of career.”
Transcript h/t: Fightful.com 1, 2, 3, & 4
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