Sami Zayn on WWE WrestleMania 39 win: ‘It actually exceeded our dreams’

Sami Zayn says he didn’t achieve his dream at WrestleMania 39 only because he never dared to dream something so big. 

Zayn and Kevin Owens spoke with Ariel Helwani following their victory over the Usos on Saturday night. Helwani asked the longtime friends to put into words what they are feeling about their emotional performance on the show. 

Zayn said:

It’s too complex to summarize with one emotion because there’s like 15 emotions all jostling at the same time. But for me, if I had to sum it up, it would just be pride in getting here with him and gratitude for being able to get here with him. 

Owens responded:

I haven’t found the words and it’s very hard to put into words but I feel like saying that sums up pretty well how we feel and I think people can relate. When the three count happened, the wave of emotion that hit me, I didn’t expect it. It’s crazy because I tried to picture it, I’ve pictured this moment hundreds of times. 

Zayn interjected:

Actually, I never did. I never pictured it being in the main event of WrestleMania. So, it actually exceeded our dreams if that’s even possible. 

Zayn continued:

I mean, we dreamed of when we first got to Ring of Honor – the first time we went we were like, ‘oh man, these guys are really good but this is where we have to be and we need to win those tag team titles.’ So, to go from that to this is wild, it’s just wild. 

Owens also reflected on all of his accomplishments in recent years. 

I think tonight was the epitome of the moments that’ll in my life, in my career, when I look back on will leave me speechless. 

Zayn said:

Every year in my career I said, ‘well, this is as good as it gets’ and somehow, like, here we are right now. I don’t know how it keeps getting better but this is amazing. 

Helwani asked Zayn if the victory at WrestleMania takes away any of the pain he might feel over having lost to Roman Reigns in Montreal at the Elimination Chamber. 

Zayn said:

Absolutely and that’s one of the things that is hard to do sometimes in the moment, is just look at things on a longer timeline. I try to look at life in general that way but things like that will get you every now and again, like, man so close but not quite, as was the case in Montreal.

But if I had just waited six weeks, I’d be like, well, this is on the other side of it. So, for sure it softens that blow even though that’s ultimately an incredibly proud and amazing evening in my life and in my career. But certainly whatever little pain was there is alleviated by this moment, for sure. 

I feel very lucky, also, because that was like a WrestleMania to me and now I got WrestleMania again, a different version with a happier ending with my bro. Lucky, just very, very lucky. 

Zayn and Owens have now won tag team titles in three different promotions. They are two-time PWG tag champions, one-time ROH tag champions, and the current WWE tag champions. Their rivalry against each other in 2010 was also voted Feud of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.