During a recent appearance on the “Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette” podcast, Sami Zayn commented on which segment in WWE changed Vince McMahon’s opinion of him, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On the segment he thinks changed Vince McMahon’s opinion of him: “You never know which segment is going to open their eyes. I think I was already doing pretty good work in the ring and had established myself as more than competent in the ring and holding my own on the microphone as a good guy, and especially, doing really good work as a bad guy. But then there was one day where I was a guest referee for Kevin [Owens] vs. Seth [Rollins]. I was just doing me. When I got back, they were all doubled over.
“That’s what I think that inspired the idea for me to be a mouthpiece for Shinsuke [Nakamura]. I came back and Vince is like, ‘You have the gift of gab.’ I wasn’t even cutting a promo, I was just being a ref, but they just started seeing me in a new light of, ‘This guy, he can be so much. He can do so much for other people.’ I think they saw a broader vision for me in that moment. Someone who can be a manager even 10-15 years down the road. They just started seeing me in that different light. There was a new trust.”
On WWE being receptive to his ideas: “I’m one of the luckier guys. It took a while for my ideas to start getting through. I’m sure Jon had a million ideas he was pitching, and he was a top guy, he was a champion. Sometimes they just don’t get through. I just started getting lucky out of nowhere and because stuff was working and I had a good relationship with writers, I’m very lucky. I can’t complain as much as other guys when it comes to pitching things and getting them. I have gotten away with a lot more than most, so I don’t think I’m in a position to complain about that.”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)