10 Things We Learned From Sami Zayn On Talk Is Jericho

Last time the two men sat down for an interview on Talk is Jericho Sami was still in NXT and was waiting for an eventual call-up, which would happen not long after when he faced John Cena on Raw in the US open challenge.

Even to this day Zayn isn’t sure if it was meant to be a permanent move or the one-off that he had heard rumblings about.

He tried multiple times to feel out Triple H and get a straight answer from him but admits that he has no poker face whatsoever and never got a direct response. Sami says he was told to go out there, do his best and show what he can do, and that way even if it was meant to be a one-time thing he could make a big impression and hopefully change some minds.

The two guys talk about how the night was the perfect scenario for a debut; performing in his hometown of Montreal - a city that hasn't birthed any wrestling stars in over twenty years - introduced by his idol, Bret Hart and working with the biggest star in the business.

Sami calls the reaction he received that night "unique" and "something special". Chris mentions that only about 10% of the WWE audience follows NXT closely but that they're a vocal minority.

Sami agrees and said that anytime he would do a live event loop with the main roster he was surprised at the recognition he received from the audience, but cherished the opportunity to go out there and get over based on his work and not strictly name recognition.

He says there's something very special about being able to come out cold and win a crowd over like that and that it was something he took great pride in while working the independents.