Popular WWE Champion predicts match against his alter ego
WWE Superstars often have alter egos, whether it's a character they are known for from before WWE or another version of the current superstar. A current champion was previously known as one of the most beloved characters in the industry, and now he's predicting how that match would go.
Sami Zayn began his pro wrestling journey in early 2002 as Stevie McFly. He then debuted the gimmick that he ran with for years: a masked luchador from Tijuana, Mexico who used "Olé!" as his catchphrase - The Generic Luchador or El Generico. Zayn found success around the world and signed with World Wrestling Entertainment in January 2013. Rami Sebei aka El Generico has been Sami Zayn ever since.
The Pride of Tijuana was featured on the latest WWE Vault episode. The current Intercontinental Champion presented fans with Generico's win over Samuray Del Sol aka Kalisto in 2012 at EVOLVE 17: Generico vs. Del Sol III, which saw Sami win a tiebreaker. The Great Liberator was then asked about a potential Zayn vs. Generico match while speaking with Good Karma Wrestling.
"It would probably be a pretty competitive fight. Both guys are kind of known for their heart and, like... sticking it out. So, I uh... don’t know, I feel like that would go 45 minutes, you know?, and just... both guys just blown to high hell, and struggling to get up, but kind of still fighting through it. I feel like it’d be that kind of match," Sami Zayn said. [From 10:06 to 10:26]
Zayn actually went by "Sammy Sane" during his first few months with NXT in 2013, and also used his real name for a few matches. Generico's last match came on January 12, 2013, at PWG DDT4, where he and Kevin Steen aka Kevin Owens failed to win the PWG Tag Team Championship from The Young Bucks.
Sami Zayn retained the WWE Intercontinental Championship ahead of next defense
Sami Zayn passed the 100-day mark of his fourth reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship this week. He secured the milestone by retaining over Ilja Dragunov in the main event of Monday's RAW.
Zayn retained after Dragunov won by DQ due to interference by Bron Breakker. The son of Rick Steiner has been chasing Zayn but failed to win the title at Money in the Bank earlier this month. After the revelation of a major spoiler this week, it's now believed that Breakker will get another shot at the 37th annual SummerSlam PLE.
Breakker vs. Zayn is rumored for SummerSlam, but it seems WWE is moving in the direction of a Triple Threat with Ilja Dragunov added to the mix. The match could be finalized as soon as next week's episode of RAW.