‘I Feel Like I’m On The 99th Floor’

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Throughout his 23-year career, Sami Zayn has nearly accomplished everything that there is to do in professional wrestling, with being a four-time Intercontinental Champion, his work on the independent scene and main eventing WrestleMania having been some of his most notable accomplishments. However, winning a world title in WWE has been the one accolade that has eluded Zayn over the years, and during a recent interview with the “Toronto Sun,” he admitted that he still wants to become a world champion, but feels his resume is still impressive without the achievement.

“I feel like I’m on the 99th floor, which is an extremely hard place to get to and I just need to get to the 100th,” Zayn explained. “I’ve already done so much more than I ever thought I would as a kid, as even when I signed my WWE contract. And then even after being in WWE for years, I’ve just accomplished so much more than I ever thought I would on so many different levels and I’ve got so many great experiences. For me, this is all gravy at this point … winning the world title is the elusive one. I wouldn’t mind winning that one. If I don’t ever win it, that’s okay because then I’m still in pretty good company, as in my opinion, one of the better guys to ever have done this without winning the world title.”

Sami Zayn details how he’d like to be remembered in WWE

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Zayn continued to reveal what he values over winning a world title in WWE, explaining that he focuses on being a work horse for the company rather than obsessively chasing gold.

“I’m like weirdly a goal oriented person but also not, I’d like to be there but it’s the journey not the destination, that old cliche. But I do believe strongly in that,” Zayn stated. “I always just had an affinity for versatility and I’ve always kind of seen myself as a craftsman because the guys that I looked up to were craftsman … I know how to work match one, I know how to work a main event in Tokyo or I know how to work a comedy match right before intermission … that’s what I go for. I want that versatility to be my calling card.”

Zayn reiterated that he doesn’t want to be remembered as the wrestler who won a world title, but rather the performer who could be comedic, cut promos, have five-star matches and compete on any given night. He also expressed that he prefers to be somebody that is relied upon in any role than be a WWE Hall Of Famer.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Toronto Sun” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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