Sami Zayn Says Early Shows In Saudi Arabia Were Not ‘WWE-Ish’

WWE started their controversial relationship with Saudi Arabia in 2018, which sees them host two shows each year for ten years for big money. 

Up until Night of Champions last month, Sami Zayn had been kept off of WWE’s events in Saudi Arabia due to his Syrian heritage.

At NOC, Zayn and Kevin Owens beat Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa to retain the Tag Team Titles. 

Speaking to Alex McCarthy of Inside The Ropes, Zayn talked about his trip to Saudi Arabia.

“That was a pretty big deal for me, for a number of reasons. That whole trip was really remarkable. I guess, on some level, even as a child, being an Arab or Muslim growing up, never really seeing a positive representation of that in media. I always just assumed if I ever got to WWE that I would have to play a terrorist — I don’t know if you can use that, but you know what I’m saying — that was the perception and portrayal of Arabs and Muslims on television, never mind WWE, just in media. It was always sort of a thing in the back of my head, ‘Man, I’d love to change that one day.’ To be able to really embrace that.

The fact that even a major premium live event like that was coming and it wasn’t just like…those early Saudi Arabia shows felt very not WWE-ish. ‘Here is a WWE show taking place somewhere else,’ and we happened to be able to watch it. Now, that was a seamless part of the show. It was a progression in the story with the Bloodline and everything else, and it just happened to be in Saudi Arabia. For that to converge with this wonderful story that I’ve been lucky enough to be part of for the last year, for that to converge with this moment of me being able to come before my people and be there and have that sort of return, under those circumstances, was very special.”

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