WWE Producer “Ignored” Section Of Fans For WrestleMania Match
One WWE producer had to forget a section of the audience for one memorable match.
At WrestleMania 38, Roman Reigns headlined against Brock Lesnar where he became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. In a huge weekend of action, WWE also saw both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon return to action but perhaps one match generated more conversation than any of that.
Jackass star Johnny Knoxville took on Sami Zayn in a comedy match for the ages. All of Knoxville’s antics were on display as he brought some old friends to help him defeat an increasingly exasperated Zayn. But as with all things wrestling, you can’t please everyone.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, Hurricane Helms opened up about producing the match and admitted he had to put one section of the audience out of his mind from the outset:
“Yeah, and I knew going in there’s gonna be some people they’re gonna hate this. And so I just completely ignored those people from day one. I was like, there’s a certain portion of the audience that is not gonna like this no matter what. So to hell with them.
“I’m aiming for you know, the audience that I thought would like it. I know being in Gorilla for that your own headset. Just the laughter in Gorilla is popping as loud as anything I’ve ever heard. It’s the most pops I’ve ever seen in Gorilla.”
Sami Zayn’s success in WWE continues
The loss to Knoxville may have been the low point for Sami Zayn in 2022 as he soon hitched his wagon to Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. That led to one of the most talked-about storylines in years with Zayn eventually turning on the man he once called Tribal Chief at the 2023 Royal Rumble.
Sami Zayn was unable to dethrone Roman Reigns as the WWE Universal Champion at the Elimination Chamber in February 2023 but he did get some revenge on the group as he headlined WrestleMania 39 with Kevin Owens to defeat The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
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