Sami Zayn discusses that time he said "AEW" on WWE.
On May 27, two days after AEW ran its first pay-per-view Double or Nothing, WWE debuted a new segment called "The Electric Chair" with Corey Graves. Sami Zayn was the first, and only, guest on the program. The segment was designed to be unscripted, where fans could ask Zayn anything. At one point, Zayn mentioned "AEW," which got the Internet buzzing on whether the moment was planned or not. Nothing came out of the moment, but the goal was achieved.
"It really was not a big story besides what was on the internet," Zayn told Catch-Newz. "Basically, the goal of the segment was a small new segment that we were trying for people. An unscripted thing. I knew that if we say '' AEW '' like that, people would talk about it. That's exactly what happened. As you see, nothing really happened after I said that. It was done once, and nothing happened. Much more controversy on the internet on the subject. But it's important to have the people talking about it. It was a small segment of a time, it was the goal, to have people talking about it. "
Following the segment, there were conflicting reports on whether the mention of "AEW" was scripted or not. The mention was edited out of the WWE released YouTube video and "The Electric Chair" segment has not returned.
Zayn is currently acting as the manager for WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, but he insists he's not a permanent manager. Don't expect Zayn to be by Nakamura's side on Thursday at WWE Crown Jewel. Zayn has not made the trip to Saudi Arabia in the past, reportedly unable to be part of the event due to his Syrian origins.
"I did a show a few years ago there. But with the new WWE partnership, I have not had a chance to perform. It's a complicated thing, difficult to explain. But for the moment, I can not say much and that in favor of any side. Maybe it will change, but for now no change. It's a complicated answer and I do not know how to explain it," he said.
Zayn is making the best of the situation, teaming with Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation to provide life-saving medical care to Syrians affected by bombings and launching Sami For Syria. Fans can find more information by clicking here.
