Sami Zayn opens up about wrestling Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38 and whether or not there is any meat left on the bone with that rivalry.
Sami Zayn started to show his tremendous versatility in WWE in 2022. In contrast, the year ended with him as part of the hottest storyline in the company, paired with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. The year started with him feuding with Jackass star Johnny Knoxville, culminating in a match at WrestleMania 38.
Speaking on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin, Zayn opened up about being very proud of that match, reaffirming that it is in his personal list of top 10 matches in his career.
“It’s very consistent, and that’s some of the stuff that I’m very proud of,” he said. “It’s a very consistent story the whole way through. So like, I look at it as just a really great match. Then, it’s dressed up by all the fun stuff. At the end of the day, there are 80,000 Something people in there, and they’re all on their feet. That’s very hard to do. Let alone with someone who’s over 50 and has never been in the ring in his life. So I mean, I take a great deal of pride in that match. When I think of my favorite matches, it definitely jumps in the top five or top ten off the top of my head.”
The Tide Turns
Sami Zayn also spoke about how Knoxville continues to dislike him, including when he showed up at WrestleMania 39 and slipped him off consistently during the entire main event of the first night when Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens won the WWE Tag Team Titles.
“He showed up at this year’s WrestleMania, and the tide had turned. I was obviously very disliked that year going into the match with Johnny Knoxville, and then, through the story with The Bloodline and everything, people kind of softened on me,” Zayn said. “By the time WrestleMania 39 comes around, I’m pretty well-liked. I’m in the main event, and it’s this really big deal, and Johnny Knoxville shows up, and he’s sitting out in the stands, and he’s still cursing me out and flipping the bird the entire match. People started turning on him.
“It was just so funny. I saw all these pictures and videos of fans filming him, and like, he definitely comes off like a crazy person. Really, the whole thing makes me laugh. His dedication to pettiness and revenge, I suppose, is somewhat admirable. The fact that he won’t let it go, I think is a little sad, but also kind of enjoyable. as well,” Zayn adds.
Bury The Hatchet?
Overall, Zayn says he’s not sure his story with Johnny Knoxville is over. He’s also not convinced they will ever truly bury the hatchet.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever bury the hatchet. We bumped into each other at WrestleMania 39, actually, and it doesn’t feel right. I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. But I feel like it’s not over. I feel like even though you know, I’ve obviously turned the page and I’ve gone into a new chapter of my career here. As you said, I’ve reached even higher highs than before. I still feel like this thing with Johnny Knoxville is not quite over, and it feels like there’s somewhere to go with that.”
For now, Zayn, like most members of the Monday Night Raw roster, is wrapped up in trying to take down Judgment Day, but he is also battling an injury.
One day, however, he may cross paths with the cast of Jackass once more. It may truly be (Sami Zayn vs.) Jackass Forever.
SEE MORE: Johnny Knoxville: I’m So Happy I Can Help Be Responsible For The Worst Day Of Sami Zayn’s Life
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