Sami Zayn acknowledges Drew McIntyre's evolution despite personal rivalry

Sami Zayn offered candid insights about his current rivalry with Drew McIntyre, acknowledging his opponent’s growth while maintaining their personal differences. The ongoing feud has seen McIntyre secure consecutive victories over Zayn at Saturday Night’s Main Event 2024 and the latest episode of Monday Night RAW.

During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Zayn discussed his competitive history with McIntyre. Despite their contentious relationship, he expressed respect for his rival’s development:

I don’t really have the best win-loss record against him—actually, I have no wins over him, shockingly. But every time you get in there, you really test yourself against somebody like that. So yeah, I’m paying the price a little physically now, but still feeling good all things considered. He’s a beast, too. He’s really stepped up his game over the past few years. As much as I dislike him or whatever, you’ve still got to give him some respect. No question about it.

Sami Zayn reflects on Kevin Owens’ Package Piledriver return

The conversation shifted to Zayn’s reaction to Kevin Owens performing the Package Piledriver on WWE programming. The move holds particular significance in their shared history:

Pretty crazy to see the Package Piledriver on WWE TV, first and foremost. I feel like I used to take that move a lot. My neck is not so good nowadays, and it’s probably better that I haven’t taken that move in a long time. It was almost like seeing a ghost. You know what? I mean, it was very strange, like a memoir of a past life. For me, personally, just seeing that was kind of a bit of a surreal moment.

Zayn also shared his thoughts on witnessing Owens with the Winged Eagle Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event:

The whole thing was a little surreal, if we really stop and think about it, considering we started together some 20 years ago in little church basements and community centers in Quebec, to all of a sudden see him standing at Saturday Night’s Main Event holding the Winged Eagle title over the champion. I mean, that’s kind of surreal when you really stop and think about it, which sometimes I’ll be honest, we don’t always get to stop and get that perspective of how crazy it is of that we’re here, where we’re at in our journey. I think sometimes, I’m sure he would say the same about me, but seeing it with Kevin sometimes opens my eyes more than when I’m doing it myself. Because, you’re on your own little path, and you’re on the hamster wheel and you’re focused on what you’re doing. But if you’re lucky enough to have someone who’s been with you on the ride from the jump, like I have Kevin, or he’s got me, it’s like this constant reminder, like, ‘Man, I remember that guy when he was here. Now he’s doing this,’ it is wild. It’s a crazy story.