WWE superstar Sami Zayn has offered his perspective on modern professional wrestling, explaining in a new interview the key difference between having a “great match” and a “memorable match.”
Guest appearing on the newest episode of HUGE POP!, Zayn discussed the current wrestling landscape. He argued that while many wrestlers today can have great matches, creating something truly memorable with specific, lasting moments is a much more difficult task. He used his WrestleMania 38 bout against Johnny Knoxville as a prime example.
“What’s harder to do now is to have a memorable match, and that match with Knoxville is a memorable match,” Zayn said. “I guarantee you there’s still at least three or four spots in the match that you remember. So that’s way harder to do.”
Zayn contrasted the Knoxville match with another of his critically acclaimed bouts, his NXT debut against Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas. He explained that while fans often tell him that match was great, they remember the feeling more than the specific moments.
“It’s a great match but, you just remember it being great. You don’t remember specifics, you know what I mean?” he explained. “Doing something that… they remember specific moments vividly. That’s like the hardest thing to do now in an era where we’re inundated with nonstop content.”
Zayn’s focus on creating memorable moments was on display in his recent rivalry with Karrion Kross. The deeply personal feud culminated in a grudge match on the post-SummerSlam episode of Monday Night Raw, where Zayn was able to overcome his tormentor and score a definitive victory, creating a memorable payoff for the fans.