Sami Zayn on WWE Never Having a Positive Arab Character

Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn sat down with Sport 360, one day prior to the “NXT Takeover: Rival” show on Feb. 11, to help promote WWE’s tour of Abu Dhabi.

He discussed why WWE has never had a positive Arab character, as well as his hope of never becoming an ethnic stereotype.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do in terms of being an Arab presence in an Arab market as I don’t think a lot of people have been able to do it in wrestling. Certainly in the WWE there has never been a positive Arab image so if I can contribute to that then I feel great about that. Not just for myself but the whole Arab market.”

“I’m very proud that I can be myself. I’m not trying to be Arabic, I’m just being me and I happen to be Arabic. I think that might be refreshing to some people and it’s a bit more realistic than these pantomime villains we’ve seen before. Hopefully I can change some people’s perceptions being a down-to-earth human being that happens to be Arabic. Whether you’re Arabic or Portuguese it doesn’t really matter. A dude’s a dude!”

Editor’s Note

Sami Zayn is certainly breaking the mold. His tights showcase that he’s well-traveled, but NXT has yet to really emphasize his background. Maybe they never will.  

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