During his appearance on Oral Sessions, Sami Zayn revealed that it was his spot as a guest referee in a match between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins that opened Vince McMahon’s eyes to what he was capable of. Here’s what he had to say:
You never know which segment is going to open their eyes. I think I was already doing pretty good work in the ring and had established myself as more than competent in the ring and holding my own on the microphone as a good guy, and especially, doing really good work as a bad guy. But then there was one day where I was a guest referee for Kevin [Owens] vs. Seth [Rollins]. I was just doing me. When I got back, they were all doubled over.
That’s what I think that inspired the idea for me to be a mouthpiece for Shinsuke [Nakamura]. I came back and Vince is like, ‘You have the gift of gab.’ I wasn’t even cutting a promo, I was just being a ref, but they just started seeing me in a new light of, ‘This guy, he can be so much. He can do so much for other people.’ I think they saw a broader vision for me in that moment. Someone who can be a manager even 10-15 years down the road. They just started seeing me in that different light. There was a new trust.
I’m one of the luckier guys. It took a while for my ideas to start getting through. I’m sure Jon had a million ideas he was pitching, and he was a top guy, he was a champion. Sometimes they just don’t get through. I just started getting lucky out of nowhere and because stuff was working and I had a good relationship with writers, I’m very lucky. I can’t complain as much as other guys when it comes to pitching things and getting them. I have gotten away with a lot more than most, so I don’t think I’m in a position to complain about that.
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Credit: Oral Sessions. H/T 411Mania.