Sami Zayn’s Feelings On Part-Timers At WrestleMania: ‘Get The Hell Out Of Here’

WrestleMania 33 is less than a month away, and many of the marquee matches all appear set. Both brand’s top title matches have been confirmed on WWE television, with RAW featuring Goldberg defending the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar and Bray Wyatt putting the WWE Championship on the line against Randy Orton.

WrestleMania matches that are penciled-in backstage but yet to be officially promoted include The Undertaker against Roman Reigns and AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon. Triple H and Seth Rollins were on a WrestleMania collision course, but Rollins’ knee injury has put that match in jeopardy. There are plenty of other bouts to fill out the card, but those mentioned will be billed as the main attractions on April 2.

A common theme among them, with the exception of the WWE Championship match, is that they all feature at least one part-time superstar. Part-timers have been no stranger to WrestleManias over the years, dating back to the Attitude Era, when wrestling was at its peak and full-time members of the roster were perceived to be able to carry any show, including WrestleMania.

In recent years, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble have also joined WrestleMania in welcoming legends and part-time stars to the event. And for as long as it’s been en vogue, there have been two sides to the argument. On one hand, it takes potential spots away from the full-time stars, but on the other, it’s believed to drive business, which everyone on the roster can benefit from.

Count Sami Zayn as one of the full-time superstars who doesn’t have a definitive direction heading into this year’s WrestleMania. The WWE created the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal four years ago in an effort to get every wrestler on the roster a spot on the WrestleMania card. Sami is likely headed for that match, considering his role on RAW lately. Zayn recently participated in a conference call and shared his unfiltered thoughts on the matter as a whole (Thanks to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription).

“Selfishly, of course part of me thinks, ‘Hey, get the hell out of here, this is our show, we work here every week’. It would be stupid to ignore that. I can say a lot about Kevin Owens, but I’ve also seen him busting his ass for the last eight months as Universal Champion, doing street fights on live events, going through tables every night, getting beaten up. So personal feelings aside you think, ‘Man that guy works hard all year he deserves to be rewarded when the time is right’. But at the same time, Brock Lesnar or Bill Goldberg coming in… the fans like it, it’s good for business, and if it’s good for business, it’s good for me in a roundabout way. Do I wish I was main eventing WrestleMania and not Bill Goldberg? Yes, absolutely. But you know, might it be better in some way to bring these guys in to help business. If it’s helping business, it’s helping me.”

Zayn appears to see both sides of the coin, but he also realizes he has yet to be positioned in a way that would make him a legitimate main-eventer at WrestleMania. However, he does have a suggestion that would allow both sides to get their way.

“The thing I’d like to see is more of a mix of these past generation talents with the current roster. For me it’s really cool to see a guy like Chis Jericho for example, who’s come back for this past year or two, and he’s mixed it up with all of us. I want to see a guy from a past generation. How’s he going to fare against out generation? That’s what’s cool and interesting for me to see… I guess it’s cool to see these two mammoths in Brock Lesnar and Goldberg go at it, but I’d rather see Brock and Kevin Owens, and Goldberg and me – or Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns. As a fan, I want to see the last generation mix it up with this generation.”

To be fair, Reigns will get the rub from the Undertaker and to a degree, AJ from Shane. However, there has been quite a bit of backlash in regards to the rumored match between Styles and Shane McMahon, and fans have been clamoring for Reigns to turn heel instead of getting re-elevated in a WrestleMania showdown with the Deadman. Zayn also referenced the WrestleMania X8 match between The Rock and Hulk Hogan as an example of WWE being able to blend stars of the past and present to create a special moment.

[Featured Image by WWE]