Sami Zayn Reflects On WWE WrestleMania 40 Match With Gunther

WWE's 666-day reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion came to an end at WrestleMania 40, as he was defeated by Sami Zayn in one of the most critically acclaimed matches in the event's history. Zayn pulled out all the stops to defeat The Ring General, including a Brainbuster on the top turnbuckle that El Generico would be proud of, and enough Heluva Kicks to keep Gunther down until next year's WrestleMania.

But with the dust now settled and Zayn preparing for his first title defense against Chad Gable this week on "WWE Raw," Zayn spoke to the Toronto Sun about how it's been hard to process the victory. "I was very happy," Zayn said. "Sometimes it just takes some time to digest some of this stuff. The bigger the match and the more eyes on it, sometimes the harder it is to get clarity about it. I don't know if other performers feel the same way about it as I do." 

Zayn explained that when there are so many people watching and there is so much hype surrounding something, figuring out whether or not what you're doing is actually good or not can be difficult. Even when he got his hand raised at the end of the match, the moment still hadn't sunk in for him. "Obviously listening to the response at the 1-2-3, at the conclusion of the match, I knew that was good," Zayn said. "But it was still hard to have the same kind of perspective, because it's a little different from what you're used to. Sometimes it takes a little longer for it to sink in. All and all, I'm very proud." The fact that Zayn knew he made history in the match made it extra special for him as he knows how hard it is to stand out and be memorable in the age of social media and so much content.

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