Former WWE Champion reveals he quit major role in the company because of Sami Zayn
A former WWE Champion recently discussed why he quit a major role in the Stamford-based promotion because of Sami Zayn. The champion being referred to is JBL.
The legend started his career with World Wrestling Entertainment in 1995. He went on to have one of the most historic runs and won several titles, including the WWE Championship and the Hardcore Championship a whopping 17 times. During his time in the Stamford-based promotion, the 57-year-old took on several roles, including that of an agent.
In an interview with Huge Pop, JBL was asked about his interest in being an agent once again. The WWE Hall of Famer said that he had no intentions of taking up that role again.
The former Intercontinental Champion shared that he was Sami Zayn's agent at one point and even though he had a lot of admiration for Zayn, he quit the job.
"I don't think so... I've told Sami Zayn this, so it's not a secret. I was Sami Zayn's agent one time and after that, I quit. I love Sami. He's one of the best characters I've ever seen. I love Sami. I was a guy who said, 'How long you need? 12 minutes. Okay. What's the finish?' That's all I needed," he said.
JBL also compared Sami Zayn to Macho Man Randy Savage, sharing a story of how Sami made the most of his match against Daniel Bryan (now known as Bryan Danielson) without any crowd at WrestleMania. The legend also jokingly mentioned that he doesn't want to be Sami Zayn's agent, calling it his "retirement ceremony."
"[Randy] Savage was just like Sami. I remember I called a match at WrestleMania where there was no crowd and Sami was in there with Daniel Bryan. Without the crowd... Sami was screaming at one point. Every time Daniel kicked him. I thought, 'This is brilliant.' It made the match. He was crying at one point. What a great heel. I love Sami, but I don't want to be his agent. That was my retirement ceremony," he added. [H/T Fightful]
Wade Barrett wanted to emulate JBL's character in WWE
During a WWE Pop Question segment on YouTube, current RAW commentator Wade Barrett said that he believed everyone hated JBL's character except for him.
Barrett also mentioned that he wanted to emulate the former United States Champion's on-screen character in the Stamford-based promotion.
"The Wrestling God, JBL, a man who had literally zero redeeming qualities. Everybody hated him, except for one, young Wade Barrett, who decided, I'm going to try and model myself after that guy," he said.
JBL is still involved in the world of professional wrestling as he recently made a surprise appearance at GCW Homecoming. It will be interesting to see what the WWE legend has planned for his future in wrestling.