Former WWE Star Afa Anoa'i Jr. Comments On Sami Zayn's Inclusion In The Bloodline
The Head of the Table might have accepted Sami Zayn as an "Honorary Uce," but one member of the famed Anoa'i professional wrestling family is warning the WWE star to watch himself and not cross any lines.
During a recent interview with Sportskeeda's Bill Apter, Afa Anoa'i Jr. said he's ultimately "okay" with Zayn being donned an honorary member of his family's pro wrestling tree but advised the Canadian-born wrestler that he should not start claiming Samoan heritage because of Roman Reigns' recent blessing.
"I'm okay with it because at the end of the day he's just an honorary uce," Anoa'i, a.k.a. Manu, said. "It's not like he's coming out and being portrayed as an 'Uce' or an Uso, he's not saying he's hailing from the Isle of Samoa."
But if Zayn takes the gimmick one step further and begins to claim Samoan heritage as his own? "Then we'll have heat," Anoa'i said. Zayn adopted the "Honorary Uce" gimmick after Reigns, the undisputed WWE champion and head of The Bloodline stable, gave him the honor after months of Zayn shadowing the family faction, somewhat forcing his way into the group. While Zayn has proven himself useful to the group – single-handedly delivering The Bloodline its victory at Survivor Series – his in-ring antics and tendency to lean on humor in tense moments have, at times, appeared to rub members of the family the wrong way.
"It's not always the joke that he makes it out to be, but at the end of the day he's trying to pop and he's trying to get over," Anoa'i Jr. said. "But it's hard to get over when the Samoans are in the ring. Trust me, it's really hard to do that because we're shining."