Kevin Nash is thrilled to see Sami Zayn finally reach the top of WWE.
On the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast (see video below), the WWE Hall of Famer congratulated Zayn on capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship at WWE Night of Champions. The episode marked Nash’s first since Zayn’s title victory, and he praised the new champion for persevering through years of adversity while remaining true to himself.
“I just wanted to personally say congratulations to Sami Zayn on becoming the World Champion. You busted your ass, you’ve endured a lot of things, you’ve been told to watch your political stance,” Nash said. “You’ve jumped through some hoops, and I’m glad that you’ve stayed in there, persevered. And I’m happy to see you get that. And there’s a lot of people and a lot of the boys that are happy that you’ve been rewarded.”
Over the years, Zayn has been outspoken about causes he supports, including raising money for humanitarian relief efforts in Syria and advocating for Palestinian rights. Nash acknowledged that Zayn stayed the course despite outside pressure and said many within the wrestling industry were happy to see him rewarded with his first world championship.
Nash also reflected on what it means to win a world title in professional wrestling, explaining that while the business is predetermined, becoming world champion represents the ultimate vote of confidence from a promotion.
“Until you become World Champion, you don’t know what it’s like to be a World Champion. And when they hand you that belt for the first time, it’s as real as our sports entertainment will get,” Nash said. “So I know that you had that feeling because I got it in Madison Square Garden. And it’s special because we all, in some form or fashion, watched this business as kids. And even though it’s a work and it’s this and it’s that, it’s still the pinnacle. And with that strap, belt, championship, whatever the f*** they want to call it, it signifies, if nothing else, somebody that they trust in and put in a position to — whether it be a month, a week, 10 years — to be the face of the company. So congratulations, Sami.”
The WWE Hall of Fame legend also had high praise for former champion Cody Rhodes, saying Rhodes has consistently shown a willingness to do business and help elevate whoever WWE asks him to.
“It just tells me volumes about Cody,” Nash said about Rhodes dropping the title to Zayn. “You know, Cody has no problem putting anybody over.”
Sami Zayn is scheduled to make the first defense of his Undisputed WWE Championship against former title-holder Cody Rhodes on the July 6 episode of WWE Raw at AllState Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
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