Byron Saxton hosted a press conference after WWE Survivor Series: War Games on Saturday night. He and members of the media were first joined by Paul Heyman and Sami Zayn, then Becky Lynch and RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, and finally WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H. Below are a few highlights from the presser, along with full video:
* Heyman applauded Zayn for his performance in War Games. Zayn said he hoped this put an end to the rumors of dissension within The Bloodline. He dismissed online speculation and said everyone doubted him, even his alleged best friend Kevin Owens, who was saying the same stuff as people online. He said he hopes people see he truly accepts The Bloodline, and they have fully accepted him
* Zayn talked about how emotional the job is, when discussing Owens. He said all kidding aside, this was a very emotional night for him. It’s weird how real emotions come to the front even in a performance like this. He said their history is not just a story, it’s real, you can’t talk about Sami’s career without discussing Owens, and vice-versa. Sami said it’s not just good acting, it’s real stuff coming to the front. He said it was a very emotional night for a number of reasons
* Heyman praised Sami for performing so well, and compared this to an actor who has a guest spot on a TV series, but ends up with a starring role on the cast because he’s so passionate and good at what he does
* Zayn was asked if he’s the most important Bloodline member not named Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Sami doesn’t look at things in terms of a ranking system, he doesn’t particularly care for that. He said it’s a unit and everybody is so important in their role towards the totality of it
* Lynch was asked about how she feels overall after being away for several months. She joked that her rear hurts but she feels great, and it’s always nice winning. Her thing is all about coming back better than before, and she felt like she came back better from when she was away while pregnant, and that was no different at Survivor Series. She said they tore the house down
* Lynch said she was in Ireland for her brother’s 40th birthday when she got the call to come work Survivor Series. She said Belair has become her good friend after starting out as bitter enemies. She’s gained so much respect for Belair, praising her as the EST of WWE. Lynch said she’s happy to fight for Belair
* Belair was asked about who she’d like to face at WrestleMania 39 in a perfect world. She said she has two choices – Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. Ripley because of how their two careers are going, it would be good to meet at the top, and Flair because she has had a goal of beating all Four Horsewomen. She has one left and that’s Flair
* They were asked what else they’d like to conquer on the Road to WrestleMania. Lynch wants to become the first woman to win the Royal Rumble twice, Belair would like to headline WrestleMania on the second night since she’s already done Night 1
* Lynch was asked about doing the leg drop off the top of the War Games cage. She said she didn’t hesitate, but she was terrified when practicing the jump earlier in the day. She joked about her palms being sweaty but said when you have the energy of the crowd, anything feels possible, it’s the people who let them feel like superheroes, the people who make them feel like a superhero, and then you become one. She said God bless WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY because they were probably feeling a lot worse than her after the move
* Lynch and Belair had a few friendly words over the title as they ended their segment
* Triple H thanked the crew for making Survivor Series happen, and gave thanks to the fans, everyone at the TD Garden
* He discussed the attendance, viewership and gate that we reported on earlier
* Triple H gave hats off to Lynch and everyone else for knocking it out of the park with Women’s War Games. He said it was an incredible match to open the show. He talked about opening a show vs. closing it and said opening is just as important as closing to him. You want to open big and close big, and they did that tonight as the women knocked it out of the park. He couldn’t be happier
* He thought Shotzi and SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey did well in the tough spot they were in, and the Triple Threat for the WWE United States Title was off the charts. He wanted to make specific mention of new champion Austin Theory. He said Theory’s career was dead two weeks ago and not it’s resurrected, a pretty good feat for Theory. He said if Theory can walk on water next he’ll be good
* He said Survivor Series meant a lot for everyone in the company. He commented on this being a new transition in time when you’re trying to blaze a new trail but at the same time remember where you came from. He mentioned how he grew up watching Survivor Series and War Games, and putting them together for one night and have it deliver in such a big way meant a lot to him and the roster. He said the talents rose to the occassion and over-delivered, no matter what was asked of them
* He said we will see when it comes to the future of War Games, if it will be a permanent fixture at Survivor Series. He said it worked out incredibly and was very exciting. He said they’ll look at the calendar, see where things end up, but Survivor Series worked and makes him positive about it. He was also asked about reports of matches like Hell In a Cell being moved away from their own events, and War Games also possibly becoming a traveling match not stuck to Survivor Series. He said it’s possible. He hears the talk and speculation on Hell In a Cell, and commented on the feeling that Hell In a Cell is a giant blow-off to feuds. He hears this speculation on Hell In a Cell, Money In the Bank, Elimination Chamber, and other things possibly changing
* He said they are not done with traditional Survivor Series matches. They have to look at what’s best for the fans at the moment, some times things need a break and then you bring them back, they’re iconic. To say traditional matches will never happen again at Survivor Series is wrong, they decided internally that this was the right year to freshen up the concept. He said RAW vs. SmackDown was also a bit tired and needed a refresh. At the end of the day it’s just about trying to give the best entertainment they can
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