Sami Zayn’s complete Elimination Chamber vlog, which features footage from both before and after his main event match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, was recently released by WWE. The video featured clips of Zayn spending time with his family, his best friend’s comments, and more.
You can watch the video in its entirety, along with some noteworthy quotes from Zayn below.
Sami traveling to the go-home SmackDown in Montreal and reminiscing on his journey:
“Man, this is just the perfect day, is it? It’s a perfect Montreal day. This whole neighborhood, where those little promotions that maybe, you know, 50-60 people would come to these church basements and community centers. There are a lot in this part of town, the east end of Montreal had a lot of shows, so I’d see these churches sometimes and be like, oh, man, I wrestled there, I remember that. I remember I wrestled in front of six people. The first show I went to was Survivor Series 1997, so I was 13 and it was one thing to watch Survivor Series ’97 and this go, whoa, I would like to be a wrestler, but it’s unfathomable that you would end up in that position, although here we are. But, you know, when you go to a little bar show, the crowds are crazy, those early IWS shows where I first made my name, that was the first time I went to show and I was like, I’m going to do this, here, this thing, because the ring is right there. So, I just wanted to take that step from here in the second row with wrestlers falling on my lap to being the guy, right there. It was only a five-foot distance versus being in section 423 of the Bell Centre of the machine that was the WWF at the time.
That’s unfathomable, but when you’re two rows back and the ring is right there and there’s no guardrails and everything, that just seems more unattainable, so that’s what kind of blew my mind. But as far as, little, tiny shows in front of, you know, 50-100 people in this part of town, I didn’t really go to those shows, I just started doing those shows as soon as I broke in. These weird little chapters in my life have just worked out perfectly, because as soon as I graduated high school, I started training for wrestling. And then I became a wrestler. While I was in University, I was making my name here in Quebec and, you know, trying to find my footing and started to go to the states. As soon as I was graduating, it became this new chapter where I’m actually starting to become a proper independent wrestler, going to the states and doing these things, enough to say to my father that I wanted to try my hand at this wrestling thing instead of going to University, which obviously as an heir apparent wants you to become an engineer or a doctor or whatever. I was like, this wrestling thing is starting to click a little bit, let me just try it out. and I’m burn out from school, I remember he laughed in my face when I said that.
My mom every step of the way there in the early days, she was like, okay, maybe that’s enough for now. Like, okay, you are a fan, that’s fine, now you want to do it? Come on, let’s pump the breaks a bit, now you’re driving to Quebec City, you’re driving to Valley Field every week, oh, okay, come on, pump the breaks. You’re going to the states? Pump the breaks, come on, let’s calm down now. You had your fun, let’s calm down. But then it eventually got to the point where, I don’t know, it goes well and she got it, you know. But I think she saw it like, you’re having fun, you’re doing this dream thing, but like, okay, you did it, now let’s get serious. And, again, it’s just the nature of a mom who wants you to make something out of yourself that’s gonna pay the bills. And wrestling, you know, when I was 17-18-19, it didn’t seem like that option existed. You know, you ask me if I’m comfortable in the spotlight, I am to a certain matter of speaking, but I’m also a very private person because my life is my life and that’s outside of this place. And I think that’s helped maintain a lot of sanity.”
There was a nice clip of Sami Zayn walking into the John F Kennedy High School doing a nice community event with Liv Morgan and Sonya Deville. Then there was a sit-down conversation with his wife Khadija and they discuss how they met and we b-roll clips of Sami walking around the arena with his family and friends. There was a run-in with Wrestling Historian Pat Laprade.
Sami moments after the go-home SmackDown promo:
“I don’t know, man, that was a little bit of an emotional whirlwind. Being out there it was really loud and really emotional. You know, a lot of the stuff we’ve been talking about today, all day, at the school, the media appearances, at home, I don’t know, it all just bubbled over in the ring and it was all there at once. It was weird. It was like my life flashing before my eye’s kind of thing. It was pretty sweet, man. I also felt a little bit emotionally drained. Family is a heavy thing, man.
You know, friends, these lifelong relationships, they just carry a lot of weight. Relationships with friends, relationships with family members, it goes without saying, but the relationship with the city, it’s not nothing, you know what I mean? It’s heavy. I don’t know, man, there’s something heavy about that. It’s heavy, it’s home. Right now I can’t even imagine tomorrow, like, oh, it’s done, see you next week. Let me recoup. Let’s draw that out a little bit. Let’s see where this goes, but, nope. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to get higher.”
Sami on the hometown pressure:
“Yesterday was so busy and turbulent, you know, these hometown shows, there’s a stress about it that I guess people don’t factor in of just making sure everybody got their tickets, everybody is accounted for. I still don’t have gear for tonight, so that was kind of stressful. I actually have to take care of that as soon as we get to the building. I’m a down to the wire guy in some respects and this is one of those instances. But today is just the match, and I don’t want to say, just a match, but in a way, you know, I’m gonna be very stressed, put a lot of mental energy into that. But at the same time, I don’t know, because I thought yesterday was going to be easy because it was the interview, but, man, yesterday was stress, all day.”
Sami after the match with Reigns:
“I don’t know, man, now is a weird time to catch me. At the moment, I’m a little numb to strange and I really can’t put my finger on why that is, because they were definitely rocking and rolling every second of the way. Maybe it’s at the very end, I don’t know, I can see their faces and I don’t know if that’s just me being bias, but just saw some looks on their faces and it was different kind of, oh, man. It reminded me of Bret-Shawn when I was kid in the last row in the house. But looking at the faces out in the front row stuff, it almost reminded me of the feeling a little bit, then.
Obviously, apples and oranges, but the feeling was strange. Tonight is like that last little lull in the movie before that third act, when things seem about as bad as they can get. This sort of protagonist of the story has been on this journey and he kinda falls flat. But that’s not the end of the story, right, there’s more to it. It’s just, I don’t know, you gotta wait to see how it plays out. Maybe it pays off in a year. Maybe it pays off in two years. This is a never ending story. It’s never the end till it’s the end and hopefully that’s awhile away.”
(H/T to Joshie Lopez and WrestlingHeadlines.com for the transcription)
