Sami Zayn Reflects On Losing To Roman Reigns In Montreal, Main-Eventing WrestleMania

Moments after losing to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, Sami Zayn was overcome with a bittersweet feeling at the post-show media scrum, admitting that he was both proud and upset at the outcome of the match.

While Zayn did realize his lifelong dream of main-eventing in his hometown of Montreal, he was equally upset that he came up short against "The Tribal Chief" in front of over 17,000 disappointed fans. Talking with "Out of Character," Zayn elaborated on the emotions he felt that fateful February night.

"If you want the truth, it was a little hard," Zayn began. "I don't think I'm being controversial in saying this, but I'm not the chosen guy — obviously. I've been handed a lot of opportunities, and I've delivered on a lot of those opportunities throughout my time with the company, and I'm grateful for all of it. But, I don't think anyone would say, 'Oh clearly, he was being positioned to be the top guy or be the most popular guy on the show.' Obviously, that's not the case, and that's fine." Zayn admitted that despite conceding his hierarchical status within the company, he was still banking on his ability "to get there" and be the one to end Reigns' historic title reign, especially due to the groundswell of support from the WWE Universe. 

The former "Honorary Uce" then pointed to others such as Bryan Danielson, Becky Lynch, and Kofi Kingston, all of whom had their coronation moments at WrestleMania after receiving "organic runs" that the audience "willed into existence." Drawing on those underdog tales, Zayn felt that he, too, could have upset the apple cart by forcing WWE to change its plans for him. 

"It's like a lighting-in-the-bottle type of a thing," Zayn said of his run earlier this year. "You don't get it very often. And then when you kinda get it, you're like, 'Well, you almost feel like the story, the audience, your performance, all of it ... it's gotten you to the exact place you dreamed you'd be. And then when you get there, you just kinda fall short, and you don't know if you'll ever get it back. So, for sure it's hard. You don't know if you can do it again — and like I said, it's only happened a handful of times in the last 10 years." 

Despite losing at Elimination Chamber, Sami is thankful for the "equity" he amassed with WWE fans during his rivalry with Reigns, and believes their perception of him forever changed when he "penetrated" their hearts and got them emotionally invested in his story. Looking ahead, if Zayn were to "ever reach the mountain top" by winning a world championship in WWE, he believes it would be part of the "overarching story" of his character, but equally admits it won't top the stakes or the atmosphere from Elimination Chamber.

"I don't have any bad things to say about anything involving that story," Zayn admitted. "But if you're asking me ... was it a tough pill to swallow to come that close and not quite make it? I'd be lying if I said 'No, it didn't bother me at all.' For sure, there was a part of me that had problems digesting that." 

When asked if main-eventing Night 1 of WrestleMania 39, alongside his best friend Kevin Owens, helped heal those wounds, Zayn responded with an emphatic "greatly!" before bursting into laughter. "Let me tell you, that softened the blow — a lot. ... At the time, I also didn't even know it. I only found out a little bit after that, and I was like 'Oh, okay. It's fine.' To be honest, even that night, by the end of the night, I was like, 'No, that's not true [that I lost at Elimination Chamber].' I didn't bounce back and kick out of it right away. It still lingered a little bit ... this feeling of whatever you want to call it, disappointment. I'd be lying if I said that went away overnight." 

Zayn still walked away from Inglewood, California feeling a lot of pride for "breaking ground on something that just didn't exist before," i.e. a match for the tag titles going last at "The Showcase of Immortals." While crediting trailblazers such as Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair for breaking the mold of what a WrestleMania main event ought to be, Zayn praised WWE's creative team for making both main events possible with quality storytelling. "It was the story that did that, so that's very, very special. It still ended in triumph for me as a character, which is very, very special. So, for sure, I can't tell you how much that [win] eased the sting of losing in Montreal.

Fans who watched the Elimination Chamber presser must have noticed that WWE CCO Triple H embraced Zayn, and uttered a few words to him before the latter walked up to address the media. During said presser, Zayn did not hold back with his true feelings, going as far as to say that he "let the city of Montreal down" by not giving them "the storybook ending" they deserved. Reflecting on those comments, Zayn admits that he can be a tad too straightforward with his answers, "I believe in just not BS-ing and just answering truthfully. That's my interview style — for better, for worse, that's what I went with this long in my career, and that's what I continue to do."

A few days later, Triple H took Zayn aside and grilled him about his comments in the presser. "He was like, 'Dude, what was with you in that press conference? You were such a downer. You gotta think of what those people saw. Those people just saw the culmination of this amazing story for the last year, and they saw one of the most electric crowds ever, and the whole night was amazing. You brought it down with that interview.' 

"I kind of saw his point, actually, because I was looking at it through my lens," Zayn added. The talk with Triple H put things into perspective for Zayn, who realized that he had to start looking at the bigger picture rather than just a solitary win or loss. "Again, what Hunter said was true. If you're just a fan, you got to see something incredible! So, that also helped me alter my state a little bit. That, in conjunction, with main-eventing WrestleMania [laughs]."