Sami Zayn‘s feud with Johnny Knoxville has spanned the duration of 2022 up to this point, and the two stars will collide at WWE WrestleMania 38. The “Jackass” star has repeatedly appeared on WWE TV to build this rivalry, and Zayn has previously admitted that he’s excited for the match as a performer. That being said, he wasn’t always the biggest fan of “Jackass” itself.
In an interview with Alistair McGeorge of Metro.co.uk, Zayn explained that even when he was younger, he “missed the point” of it. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion explained that he’s come to appreciate the popularity of “Jackass” throughout his time working with Knoxville, but he wasn’t enamored with it when he was younger; instead, he focused on wrestling.
“Well if I’m being honest, I was actually never a fan,” said Zayn. “I knew it was obviously very popular, and I think now that I’m working with Johnny Knoxville I’m realizing a lot more how popular it actually was. I was just so consumed by wrestling at that age, that I kinda never took to it. If I’m being honest, I think I kinda missed the point of ‘Jackass’ when I was younger.”
Zayn went on to elaborate that he didn’t particularly enjoy the concept of the show people he didn’t like seeing people “doing crazy things and getting hurt.” He then pointed out the irony in this stance, given his love for wrestling and his lengthy career in the business.
“I think I only, at a glance, looked at it at first and just saw guys doing crazy things and getting hurt,” said Zayn. ” I’m not a fan of watching people get hurt to be honest. Which is strange to hear considering I was obsessed with pro wrestling and I became a wrestler. But I’m a bit squeamish, I’m not a fan of watching people get hurt.”
Over time, Zayn has come around, as he has gained a new perspective. Rather than focusing on the stunts and people getting injured, Zayn now sees that “Jackass” is all about friendship. For this reason, he stated that he had wrongly judged “Jackass” without knowing what it was all about.
“It’s about the friendships and the camaraderie,” said Zayn. “It’s funny because people miss the point of wrestling all the time, so it’s funny that someone who’s as obsessed with wrestling as I am, that I missed the point of ‘Jackass’.
“But I’ll freely admit that I did, and I judged it without entirely knowing what it was, or was about.”
Needless to say, Zayn’s looming Anything Goes Match with Knoxville won’t be about the power of friendship, as the two rivals will battle it out in what promises to be a chaotic match.
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