Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman discuss Sami Zayn‘s remarkable run over the past several months.
Throughout the course of the latter half of 2022, Zayn gradually worked his way into The Bloodline; he was initially a stooge for the group, but he eventually became the “Honorary Uce”. Zayn proved his loyalty to the faction on a number of occasions, and the overall storyline was often praised as the best program in WWE, if not all of wrestling itself.
Zayn ultimately turned on Reigns and the stable at WWE Royal Rumble 2023, as he refused to attack his friend, Kevin Owens. The group then beat up him, leading to an unforgettable clash between Reigns and Zayn in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In the aftermath of Reigns’ victory, Zayn slowly reunited with Owens, and the duo will challenge The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 39.
Marc Raimondi of ESPN spoke with the members of The Bloodline about the group’s collective success and their acclaimed storyline. Reigns praised Zayn and stated that only Zayn could be the “Honorary Uce.”
“I believe I can do work of this level with… other guys, they’d just be different,” Reigns said. “It wouldn’t be the same. It would be a different character, a different angle, a different layer. Nobody would be able to be the ‘Honorary Uce’ other than Sami Zayn.”
Paul Heyman, Reigns’ “special counsel”, detailed how Zayn’s brilliance caught everyone by surprise. He called how the former El Generico spent years under a mask, and he now uses excellent facial expressions to maximize emotional storytelling.
“What caught everyone off guard was just how brilliant he could be in talking segments. This is a person that spent a decent portion of his career under a mask before he came to WWE,” Heyman said. “To hide that face and his expressions is mind-boggling to me. I don’t think Sami knew; otherwise he wouldn’t have spent part of his career under a mask.”
Zayn himself made it clear that the mask helped his development as a performer, as it taught him how to use body language and facial expresses to tell a story.
“I think everybody should work in a mask at some point in their career, even if it’s when they’re first starting,” Zayn said. “The mask is a really beneficial tool early in your career because it teaches you the art of body language and facial expressions.
“It teaches you to be far more expressive and to really master the art of getting by without a lot of tools that we just take for granted. For example, even being able to talk. Talking is a huge part of connecting with people. So you need to be able to connect with people and not really talk. If you could do that, you’re gonna be pretty good.”
