CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 5:55 pm
The EBWF was in Phoenix with around two weeks left until the first pay-per-view since WrestleMania, Aftermath. At WrestleMania, Sami Zayn defeated Trent and Lance Storm in a ‘triple threat’ match to become a two-time Intercontinental Champion but he didn’t have too much time to celebrate or unwind, instead his next challenger was revealed the very next night on Warfare as Chris Jericho made his intentions clear, that he was better than Sami Zayn and would prove it by defeating him for his Intercontinental Championship at Aftermath, but they would be locked inside of a steel cage in what promises to be an exciting bout. Aftermath was now edging closer and Monday Night Warfare was taking place at the US Airways Center, as the show was in full swing already, attention is turned to the titan-tron as fans are shown a clip from something that took place earlier on in the evening before Warfare went on air, the cameras captured Sami Zayn enter the arena with his Intercontinental Championship over his shoulder and his bag dragging along the floor behind him. He took off his headphones as he hesitantly looked into the camera that was following him and he was stopped in his tracks when he was quickly approached by Renee Young.
RENEE YOUNG
Sami, last week you accepted Chris Jericho’s challenge to an Intercontinental Championship match at Aftermath…inside of a steel cage. How, why? Why would you accept a challenge of that stature so soon after re-capturing your title?
SAMI ZAYN
Well Renee, it’s just something I need to do I guess. This championship has lost a tonne of prestige and I plan on bringing that back, and the first step in doing that is to defeat Chris Jericho, and to do it on his terms makes it that much better. He knows I can beat him, I know I can beat him and at Aftermath I’m going to prove that I’m better than him, Lance Storm and Trent. But tonight Renee, the focus isn’t on Chris Jericho, Chris Jericho doesn’t matter tonight, not one little but. What matters tonight, is my match in the main event…against CM Punk.
RENEE YOUNG
Yes you do, you’re both newly-crowned champions, who do you think has the advantage heading into the match?
SAMI ZAYN
I honestly don’t know, we’re both dealing with our own problems, I have Jericho sticking his nose in my business and he’s got to deal with Dwayne so advantage and momentum probably doesn’t matter.
RENEE YOUNG
You and CM Punk haven’t really crossed paths as much as fans might’ve thought, I mean we saw you team up at Survivor Series but that’s about it, is there any friction there between the two of you?
SAMI ZAYN
I wouldn’t say so, he’s out there doing his thing and I’m here doing mine, we don’t need to be facing off against one another week after week, I mean sure the matches would blow every other match out of the water but we need to make that one encounter special and tonight that’s what I plan on doing, no friendship, no animosity, just two wrestlers going out there doing what they love and tonight I defeat the Best in the World, it’s as simple as that.
Sami walked off, leaving Renee behind as she stared at him walk away and the camera faded out, with Sami adamant that regardless of who he’s up against, whether it’s Jericho or Punk, he was stepping in to win.
A couple of hours had passed and Monday Night Warfare was already in full swing, most of the matches had now taken place and the main event was edging closer and closer, as it did “World’s Apart” blasted the PA system as the fans erupted into cheers upon hearing the theme music of their Intercontinental Champion. Sami Zayn emerged on stage with a huge smile on his face as he slapped the Intercontinental Championship around his waist and shouted “Let’s Go!” into the camera as he danced his way down the ramp, high-fiving the fans on his way down the ramp before jumping on to the steel steps and pumping up the crowd as the ‘Ole!’ chants grew louder and louder. He continued to receive a great reaction as he circled the ring and waited for his music to stop playing, eventually it did but he still couldn’t speak as the chants continued to drown out his voice. After settling them down enough, he finally managed to get a few words out as the fans started to battle with their chants ranging from ‘Ole!’ to ‘Sami Zayn’ to ‘CM Punk’ as the main event feeling was sinking in.
SAMI ZAYN
A wild crowd in Phoenix, I think you’re all ready to see a great, no nonsense wrestling match. Tonight, I take on the Path to Glory Champion, CM Punk. You know, a lot of people say the two of us are quite similar in certain aspects and backstage in my locker room, I started to think and it was certainly interesting. It’s true, we both love this business more than anything. Wrestling is in our blood, it is what we were born to do, there’s no way in hell guys like me and him would settle for a life of stacking shelves or answering calls or wearing suits and spending the day in offices, that’s not for us. We belong…right here. In this very ring doing what we do best, entertaining every single one of you and I a short while we plan on doing just that. We hate people who use this as a back-up plan, who come and go when they please, run away when things don’t go to plan, but they don’t know what it’s like being at the bottom of the barrel and having to claw your way up to the top, and y’know Phil has done that better than anyone in this business. But there are a few differences as well, not just the obvious with the slicked back hair compared to the scruffy ginger hair, not the tattoos compared to the plain, pasty skin, but the fact that CM Punk tells us all he is the Best in the World but very rarely proves it. I never have to say it as much as him, but I prove it every single week against every single opponent, but of course, CM Punk is CM Punk; he’s always going to be a God in this place whether you and I like it or not, and that’s fine because I’d rather have someone like Punk take the plaudits than something who couldn’t give a shit about this business.
Fans cheered as Sami Zayn walked around the ring again, smiling as he soaked up the feeling of taking on CM Punk and wasn’t going to hold back.
SAMI ZAYN
Don’t get me wrong, he’s been around much longer than I have, he’s achieved a lot more than I will, hell; he’s changed the business all by himself. But when you’re done…you’re done. This Best in the World tag was all great when it was true but you’ve grown to be like my good friend Chris Jericho who won’t do anything for a month and then pick up a win and then calls himself the best in the world at what he does, the difference is Punk, you and I know there are now better wrestlers than you in this business and you’re looking at him. It just seems like you’ve cast this magic spell on everyone and they just can’t seem to get enough of you, when you’re not in form you’re still the man under the microscope, everyone is focusing on you as if you’re the only one who matters and that this whole business revolves around you. John Cena wins, let’s talk about CM Punk. Sami Zayn wins, let’s talk about CM Punk. Sami Zayn is the new Intercontinental Champion! Who cares? CM Punk is the Path to Glory Champion, that’s what matters of course! Well not anymore, not tonight. Tonight Sami Zayn matters, tonight the Intercontinental Champion is victorious and the only name people will talk about is Sami Zayn.
Sami stopped in his tracks, as he listened to the chants for both men, how the fans showed support for both men.
SAMI ZAYN
There's no jealousy, you've done everything so far because of hard work, most of it anyway and you know I don't even hate you, I just think that now, after my time here, I think I am better than you, I'm not planning on doing a CM Punk and just saying it, I'm planning on doing a Sami Zayn and proving it. I think even you’re beginning to doubt yourself especially when you are going up against someone like me, someone like yourself over ten years ago, even you know it’s time to pass on that torch, because in case everyone has forgotten, when you were busy getting your ass handed to you every single week, you came to me to join YOUR team at Survivor Series, I didn’t come crawling to you. You needed my help, I gave it, and you still failed, Phil. Just like you’ve been doing for so long but you managed to capture that title which pretty much guarantees you a World Title match because let’s face it, if little Sami Zayn can defeat The Great One then the Best in the World should be able to do it on one leg, no problem.
He stopped and scratched the back of his head, it was clear that he was a little frustrated at the task at hand, but looking forward to it.
SAMI ZAYN
I’m not ungrateful, standing here in front of all of you with this…this championship around my waist is an incredible feeling. But as people we’re all greedy, we want more and more and more and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to reach the top, I’d do anything to be in the position Punk is in right now, to get one small shot, compared to Punk who has had opportunity after opportunity after opportunity and he’s failed more often than not, yet he’s still a favourite to become the World Champion. Of course, that gets the rest of us down, the hard workers, the go getters who rack up win after win, but we’re still standing at the back watching people like CM Punk snatch away the opportunities. Me? I’ve learnt to live with it. If there;s one thing this company has taught me, is be grateful with what you have because when it’s taken away it takes a lot of work to get back where you are, a lot of work…unless…you’re people like CM Punk or John Cena or Randy Orton, but I KNOW I won’t be a World Championship contender, I know it, I can defeat anyone and everyone but I just don’t have ‘it’. I know, it’s not something my fans want to hear but it’s true. I don’t have that look, that unique look that Punk has, that edginess about him, his mouth, his outspoken nature in general, the fact that he can even make the smallest things relevant, like ice-cream bars or comic books that a lot of us love or a Blackhawks game or kicking up a fight with a mascot, I don’t have all of that, but what’s forgotten is that Punk hasn’t been better than me in any sense. I’m not a contender, he is though, let’s just forget the fact that he’s had his shoulders pinned to the mat more often that I have in recent months, let’s forget the fact that I’ve already defeated The Rock, who CM Punk will be facing which should mean I am already ahead of him. Let’s forget that Sami Zayn has defeated Trent and Lance Storm, two former World Champions in one night, how I’ll go on to defeat another champion in Chris Jericho at Aftermath. Let’s forget that our current World Champion, Dolph Ziggler has had his shoulders pinned to this mat by Sami Zayn, let’s forget the fact that in the build-up to WrestleMania, AJ Styles was defeated by Sami Zayn fair and square, oh nobody wants to remember all of that do they? Just in case Sami Zayn might be mentioned in the same breath as the World Champion, and we can’t have that, let’s just stick with the go-to guy in CM Punk because nobody remembers his losses, well I do, I remember it all, and I’m going to remember one more loss, the one that’ll occur tonight when I kick Punk’s ass.
Sami leaned against the ropes, thinking of his game plan for when Punk would step in the ring and what he could do to stop him from gaining any advantage/
SAMI ZAYN
I'm not like any opponent you've faced here in the last year or so, I don't play any mind games, I won't kidnap anyone, I'll do exactly what you've been trying to do for a while now, walk into this ring, win, and leave. Sometimes, I look at you in that ring and I start questioning, is your heart even in it anymore? Do you REALLY want this? Because I know you’re not someone who gives into temptation easily, but sure, that UFC opportunity must surely be making you lick your lips and wondering what could happen if you jumped ship? You won’t need to think about it for much longer Phil, tonight I’m making that decision a tony bit easier for you, I won’t be going to sleep, that’ll be you falling down like a tree in a forest when I hit you with the Helluva Kick and pin you in the middle of this ring and then on the long walk back up the ramp you’re going to ask yourself if it’s worth it. Then, just like many other guys in the back, you’ll run away too. I’m sick of hearing about the best in the world, Jericho says it in one ear and CM Punk says it in the other, I’m going to prove that they’re both all talk when I defeat them both and keep hold of my Intercontinental Championship. Nobody is taking this opportunity from me, not Jericho, and certainly not CM Punk.
Sami dropped the microphone and took off his shirt in frustration as fans cheered for him, as he jumped on the spot waiting for the familiar riff and for CM Punk to spear so they could put on a great show.