Sami Zayn Gets Honest About WWE Future, And It Should Worry His ‘Ride-or-Die’ Fans

Sami Zayn is not putting a number on how much time he has left, but the 41-year-old is under no illusions about where he is in his career.

Speaking with Witty Whittier this week, Zayn opened up about his gratitude for still being in the position he is while acknowledging that the end of his in-ring run is closer than the beginning.

“I remember several years ago being on a European tour thinking like, ‘I don’t know how many more of these there really are.’ When you’re in it, you think it’s just going to keep going forever,” Zayn said. “It’s kind of like when you’re in high school, you just feel like those years are going to last forever. But then, when you’re an adult, and you’ve been out of high school 10-15 years, like, ‘Man, high school was nothing.’ It’s a blip in your life.

“So I’ve been lucky that WWE and my time in this business have been more than a blip. But I realize that this time will probably be coming to an end within the next — I don’t want to put a number of years on it, but definitely closer to the end than the beginning. So I’m just very, very grateful to be a part of it still. It’s just not lost on me. It’s not lost on me. This is great.”

Sami Zayn Calls WrestleMania 42 ‘Strange’

Zayn also reflected on WrestleMania 42, describing the event as carrying a “strange” vibe for a number of reasons. His character was in an unusual place heading into the show, with fan reactions beginning to shift negatively, leaving his positioning less defined than it typically is at WrestleMania time. He lost the United States Championship to Trick Williams at the event.

“My character at the time of WrestleMania was a bit more undefined than it’s been in many, many years,” Zayn said. “Usually, I walk into Mania, and I know exactly where I’m at and what I’m doing. This year, it’s like this character shift and this sea change has been going on at the same time with Trick kind of rising and me getting these — I would say polarizing reactions, but it’s kind of started to swing all the way in the other direction now to where I’m unliked.

“And I’m kind of, as a character, saying like, ‘What did I even do here? Why is this happening?’ and all of that kind of stuff. Week-to-week, audience-to-audience is all different, so it felt a little less sure-footed,” he added. “Then the vibe around WrestleMania was a little strange this year, like with the Pat McAfee thing being added at the last minute. There was just so many things that felt a little strange about this year’s WrestleMania.”