Sami Zayn is aware of it will likely be loud. A Montreal wrestling crowd for a WWE occasion by no means disappoints with regards to jacking up the decibel meter.
But the Montreal-area wrestler doesn’t absolutely predict simply how loud the followers will likely be at Bell Centre when his music hits and he walks to the ring for his highly-anticipated, main-event match with WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns in Saturday night time’s Elimination Chamber.
“I’m trying to keep my expectations low,” Zayn mentioned throughout a media look at a downtown Montreal lodge on Friday morning.
“Historically talking, the Bell Centre has been extraordinarily, extraordinarily form to me. There is simply one thing about Montreal, the best way they deal with one in every of their very own, it’s second to none. But I’m additionally making an attempt to not financial institution on it, in order to not set myself up for disappointment.
“But all signs are pointing to it’s going to be pretty wild.”
Zayn, a Laval, Que., wrestling star, has been on fireplace in WWE for the previous eight months or so after he grew to become a part of the Bloodline storyline in WWE that options the likes of Reigns, the tag-team champion Usos and supervisor extrordinaire Paul Heyman.
The storyline has gripped the curiosity of wrestling followers all over the world, resulting in a rise in TV scores and social media buzz. It’s additionally put a rocket on Zayn’s stardom that hits its highest level Saturday night time on the premium occasion often called Elimination Chamber, in entrance of his dwelling followers and a sold-out Bell Centre.
“It’s pretty remarkable to end up in this position being a guy who is a product of local Montreal wrestling some 20 years ago,” he mentioned.
“I just ended up in the right place, at the right time,” mentioned Zayn.
“And it just so happened to be, this fight, that people are really anticipating, everywhere in the world …. it just so happens it has landed in Montreal. That just makes it triple special.”
Fans hoping Zayn beats Reigns to change into WWE’s world champion may need to carry their enthusiasm. Zayn is the clear underdog towards Reigns, a world champion for greater than 900 days now.
But Zayn mentioned he’s prepared for this second at Bell Centre and permits himself to surprise — what if he does pin Reigns to change into the face of WWE?
“We know what wrestling is. It’s sports, it’s entertainment, it’s a hybrid of the two,” Zayn mentioned. “For a lot of people, it’s the ultimate moment, to reach that championship. I’m not a person who lives and dies by the championship, and not someone who is going to view this incredible 20-year career as a failure if I don’t win the championship.
“However, if I were to win that championship, especially in Montreal, I think that’s the kind of cherry on top that you take with you forever. It doesn’t get better than that.”
As for being within the spot on the cardboard he’s and changing into the newest Quebec-wrestling product to fundamental occasion the WWE stage (Montreal’s Kevin Owens has additionally held this spot), Zayn mentioned being from La Belle Province and a Canadian means an important deal to him and others.
“I think we produce some of the all-time best. Montreal, specifically,” he mentioned, referring to top-level wrestling stars. “We have a pretty good track record. Something in the water? I don’t know.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.