It had been a while since the EBWF last saw Sami Zayn, his last outing was at Fanniversary where he lost in his bid to become a two-time World Champion when he lost to The Miz in a ladder match. A lot had been said in the build-up to the event with Sami and Miz – along with Vertex – coming to blows on numerous occasions. With Miz getting the better of Sami twice now, many were thinking what was next for the popular superstar. He had the support, the talent and the desire to be in a similar spot again, but other stars were also looking to be in a similar spot and now Sami had to fight harder than ever to get back to championship level.
The EBWF was in Salt Lake City, Utah and Sami was making his first appearance since Fanniversary, it wasn’t just an appearance but he was in a match against Jeff Hardy who had recently turned heads since his arrival to the company, and it was the toughest test Sami could have asked for at this stage. With a number of matches already in the books on the night, the cameras turned to Jim Ross at ringside who was addressing the EBWF fans at home.
JIM ROSS
Well ladies and gentlemen our next match of the evening, well our final match of the evening will see two of the finest athletes in the company today. We have Jeff Hardy who has looked highly impressive since signing with the company, going up against Sami Zayn who is looking to bounce back from his loss to The Miz at Fanniversary.
Sami will be looking to get back on that level whereas Jeff Hardy came close to becoming the number one contender last week until we saw the shocking alliance, the despicable Solomon Crowe aligning himself with snakes such as Paul Heyman and CM Punk. I caught up with our former World Champion – Sami Zayn – last week at the EBWF Headquarters as he prepared himself for his match against Jeff Hardy.
The cameras faded to black as the pre-recorded interview with Sami Zayn was about to air. Attention turned to the titan-tron as JR’s face was seen with papers in his hand, sitting opposite Sami Zayn, looking into the camera.
JIM ROSS
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time, the former two-time Intercontinental Champion, the former World Champion and the reigning King of the Ring…Sami Zayn. Sami, good to see you again.
SAMI ZAYN
Thanks for having me, JR.
Fans cheered as Sami’s face was finally seen on the screen, who was smiling in his usual attire topped with a flat-cap and blazer looking back at JR.
JIM ROSS
It’s been a whirlwind year or so for you, a lot of success, a lot of downfalls too…how does it feel to hear all of those accolades I just mentioned, yet there’s nothing around your waist to show for it.
SAMI ZAYN
Um…it’s tough, that’s for sure. Only I know how much work I put in to reach those levels and only I know how much more I NEED to put in to get there again. Some days you wake up thinking is it really worth it to go on that long journey again? Some days you’re fired up to go for it. Right now it’s definitely tough, not only tough for me as I have no gold around my waist but it’s definitely tough seeing The Miz as World Champion, that one…that one still stings a little bit.
JIM ROSS
Is that settled then? Between you and The Miz? He’s now the better man with the gold?
SAMI ZAYN
No, not by a long shot and he knows that. Look, I’m one of many who wants to get my hands on him but I’m not at a level where I’m fixated and lose focus on everything else. He knows and I know that inside of the ring in a wrestling match, no gimmicks, I’d out-wrestle him and take that champion. But I guess it’s now down to somebody else to do what I couldn’t do, and I’m content with that…for now.
JIM ROSS
So with that chapter officially closed, what’s next for Sami Zayn?
SAMI ZAYN
This is always the hardest part, coming off a championship loss because now you’re below everybody else, despite how talented you may be. For me now I can only take it one step at a time, and the first step is Jeff Hardy, and that’s great. No complaints from me.
JIM ROSS
How does it feel, knowing that Jeff Hardy came so close to challenging the champion while you’ve missed out?
SAMI ZAYN
I think Jeff is smart enough to know that when you have scum like Vertex at the top, and scum like AJ Styles, CM Punk and the rest of them battling it out, you’re fighting a losing battle. I’ve had it time and time again and we’ll continue to have it because that’s just how the way it works I think. They’re not good enough to run on their own, so they’ll bring down the guys they know are a threat. Last month that man was me, and last week it was Jeff and they made sure they dealt with that problem.
It is all part of the change though, a change in this company. You can just feel it in the air that there’s something different. We’re seeing unlikely alliances, we’re seeing new champions and it’s strange to see. It’s strange to see The Miz at the top, it’s strange to see Lance Storm holding a championship belt and it’s strange to see Sasha Banks without the championship so I guess for most of us it’s something we have to get used to and personally the quicker I can change this situation, the better.
JIM ROSS
What are your thoughts on Jeff Hardy? You can’t deny how impressive he’s been since signing with the company.
SAMI ZAYN
You can’t deny that, and I don’t deny that. He had one hell of a run but obviously it had to come to an end at some point, and it has. That means he’s just like the rest of us now. I appreciate what Jeff has done, not just in the EBWF but all over the world but on Monday that won’t matter. It won’t matter what championships I’ve held and it won’t matter what he’s achieved.
It’s just two guys going out there doing what they love and it’s a fact that we’re going to steal the show, there’s no denying that. In the time he’s been here he’s achieved a lot, in fact he made a bigger impact in a few weeks than I did in months and months, he almost hit the top of the mountain quicker than I did.
But the way I see it is that it took me a year to get to this stage, to fight through loss after loss and I felt like the long journey was worth it, and that I finally deserved to be the champion more than a year after signing with the company. Jeff? He’s been here five minutes and people are calling for how he should be challenging and beating The Miz. He may be a great guy and all, but that doesn’t sit well with me so on Monday I’m going to have to show him just how hard it is to make it because nobody has had it tougher than I have.
JIM ROSS
What do you need more? A solid performance? Or the victory?
SAMI ZAYN
Hmm…every single day I’d say a good performance is vital, but right now I need to try and get that win however I can. I need it, plain and simple because a loss after another after another just adds more pressure, I don’t plan on losing to Jeff. I do still think I have more to offer than he does, even though we have similar styles and everything, I just think this win would help me more than it could ever help him, deep down he knows that. He may have had a good run, but he knows he needs this win just as bad as I do.
I know why he’s doing what he’s doing, he loves the business and he has a family and a daughter and he’s clearly someone they and a lot of kids look up to, hey I was a Jeff Hardy fan too at one point. That’s good though, that he’s doing it for them and I am genuinely, genuinely going to hate the fact that when she watches him on TV on Monday, he’s going to lose and that kills me, it absolutely does.
But I’m not going to be a walkover for anyone any longer. Whether you’re Jeff Hardy or whether you’re The Miz, I’ll have to do what I do without taking anyone else’s feelings into consideration…yet I’ll still shake his hand at the end of our battle.
I’m not letting him take my spot, it’s as simple as that. He’s had a few weeks of success and if he’s using that as motivation to tell himself he’s better than me, then that’s cute. I’m happy for him, if that’s what’ll keep him going. But for me it’s about starting again, starting from scratch and racking up the wins again so I can be the champion again, and that starts with Jeff on Monday, for me…it’s time to rebuild.
JR and Sami looked at one another to conclude the video package as Warfare headed into a commercial break before the Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy match. Sami was defiant that he was going to beat Jeff Hardy as he looked to rebuild his path to the top, starting with Hardy.