Abu Dhabi is a special place for me: Zayn

Abu Dhabi: WWE Superstar Sami Zayn can’t wait to get into action in Abu Dhabi when he returns to fight in the WWE Live shows at the Zayed Sports City on February 12-14. Having a huge local support during his last fight in the capital, the 30-year-old Syrian-Canadian speaks to XPRESS about his excitement as the countdown begins.

How excited are you to return to Abu Dhabi for the WWE Live in February?

I am very excited. I really can’t put it into words. Abu Dhabi is a special place for me because when we last came here in October 2013, that was the first time I got to wrestle in front of an Arab audience and obviously that is a big deal. So I am looking forward to coming back.

You have had a lot of success during your two years with WWE. What are your immediate and long-term goals?

The immediate goal now that I have become NXT champion is to defend the title and contribute to making NXT a bigger brand because it seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. It is night and day to compare it from when I first arrived all the way until now. It has developed a real cult following within the WWE universe and fan base, so I would like to be a part of seeing NXT grow. The ultimate goal is to move on past NXT onto RAW, SmackDown and the monthly Paid-Per-Views and hopefully be a big part of the company for years to come.

You should be expecting lot of local support. How big an advantage is that?

For me it is huge; it almost feels like home-field advantage. When I come to shows and perform in front of the Arab crowd it feels like I am home. So this is sort of a hometown show for me, so obviously those are the ones you look forward to the most.

WWE is catching up in the UAE, do you see more Arab fighters to make it big in the near future?

Selfishly, I have that market cornered right now. But I have no doubt that as the market grows there will be more people of Arab descent making their way into WWE. In fact I came to Dubai last time for the first-ever WWE try-outs, where they had rounded up talent not only from the Middle Eastern countries but also had Indian athletes as well. Basically, it was about seeing who had the potential for WWE Superstardom. The fact that the company came all the way out here and spent money to find talent is a huge indicator that they are moving forward in this market.

What’s your message to young fighters dreaming of making it big in the league?

It takes a lot of hard work and the willingness to sacrifice and dedicate yourself. Unfortunately, if you are living in the Middle East, there is very little access to wrestling education. So it might require a drastic move like going to Canada or the US or UK. It is something that every wrestler has to do eventually and take a big gamble. In the case of an Arabian wrestler you might have to do that right off the bat due to the fact that there is nothing available in the market at this time. Hopefully that changes in the near future.