Sami Zayn issues response to the criticism of his WWE Title victory
As seen during the 2026 WWE Night of Champions PLE, Sami Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes and Gunther to win the WWE title for the first time in his career. While speaking to ESPN New York, Zayn issued a response to the criticism of his WWE Title victory…
“If you just don’t like me, that’s fine. You’re certainly allowed to not like me.
But I think if you start getting married to an archetype of what you have been taught to like—this is what you should want—and then that’s all you buy, I mean, without insulting anybody here, I just think that’s kind of like a lack of, I don’t know, free thought. Like a lack of intelligence.
I mean, what I’m saying is, this isn’t the product I’ve always purchased. I mean, and that’s fair, but you’re allowed to want other products or enjoy other products. It shouldn’t be that one thing has been sold to you and you should come to accept that that is the only way anything needs to be done.
To me, I equate that with almost staying in your hometown your whole life and never going to New York City, and then never realizing that there’s a whole planet out there and there’s billions of people out there and there’s billions of ways to do things and there’s billions of different cuisines and cultures and dances and whatever. There’s a whole universe out there, and you got to, like, you know… and maybe I say this because traveling the world has been so important to me and it’s shaped my worldview, but it’s like, man, broaden your horizons a little bit. You know what I mean?
And if I’m just not your cup of tea, fair play. But the idea that a champion needs to be this or needs to be that, I’m like, ‘oh well, you’re an idiot.'”
Nothing needs to be anything, right? You know, if it’s good, it’s good. I’ve always kind of subscribed to that.
And I don’t know. I think the work I’ve been putting out over the last few years is good.”