Sami Zayn Admits WWE WrestleMania 42 Had “Different Vibe”

Sami Zayn felt differently about WrestleMania 42 compared to past years.

During his legendary WWE career, Sami Zayn has done it all in terms of winning titles and main eventing major shows like WrestleMania, except for winning the WWE Title.

At WrestleMania 42, Sami Zayn defended and lost the United States Title against Trick Williams, who went from being a heel against Zayn to becoming the babyface in their rivalry.

While speaking to Witty Whittier, Sami Zayn said WrestleMania felt different this year.

“The vibe was just different this year for so many different reasons. Sometimes it comes down to just the hotel you stay in or the match you have — everything shifts your mood slightly. This year, my character at the time of WrestleMania is a bit more undefined than it’s been in many many years.

Usually, I walk into Mania and I know exactly where I’m at and what I’m doing. This year, this character shift and this sea change has been going on at the same time with Trick 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?’ It’s still in this week-to-week [thing], audience to audience is all different so it felt a little less like surefooted, you know what I mean?

The vibe around WrestleMania was a little strange this year with the Pat McAfee thing being added at the last minute. I don’t know, there was just so many things that felt a little strange about this year’s WrestleMania.

Ultimately, like you said I didn’t get to do Mania last year in Vegas. I missed out on it so I kind of felt like, ‘Oh, alright, here we go.’ When you’re actually in the ring and you’re actually in the city doing meet and greets and stuff like that, I really like it. It can be a tad overwhelming sometimes but again, what a privilege to have.

If I go to WrestleMania 15 to 20 years from now and I’m not at the center of it, then you’re not overwhelmed by it. So, it’s actually kind of a gift in the midst of that madness.” (H/T Fightful)

Sami Zayn Isn’t Fully A Heel

During his rivalry with Trick Williams, which has also involved the dreaded Gingerbread Man, Sami Zayn has become one of the most hated wrestlers on the SmackDown brand.

However, Sami Zayn said in a new interview that he is not a traditional heel character right now.

“I’m getting booed, but then I’m high-fiving fans on the way to the ring. There was this one week I got booed heavily, and then I stayed in the ring during the commercial break, and my match started, but during the break, when I was standing in the ring looking around, all these fans were waving and showing little hearts. I was like, what’s going on here?

To be fair, if you kick a mannequin gingerbread man below the belt, that might upset people because people want to have fun.”

At WWE Backlash on Saturday, May 9th, in Tampa, Sami Zayn will face Trick Williams for the US Title in a WrestleMania rematch. Here’s the lineup.

* WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu

* Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

* Asuka vs. Iyo Sky

* United States Championship: Trick Williams (c) vs. Sami Zayn

* The Miz & Kit Wilson vs. Danhausen & ????

* John Cena appears

You can watch WWE Backlash, streaming live Saturday, May 9, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on ESPN Plus in the United States and Netflix internationally.