Sami Zayn has been wrestling for over 15â years, and he's no stranger to high-risk, high-impact maneuvers in his matches. áŁBut he says nothing compares to the risks one takes in a ladder match.
He told about his memories ofđž his very first laddeđČr match:
âI think it was in a gymnasium in the town that I lived in, in front of about 80 people. I want to say it was in⊠late 2002. It was a three-way ladder match. Definitely did some things I probably shouldnât have done that night, you know, just taking really unnecessary risks. When I think back on it now, think about the 15-year toll I putꊰ on my body, I think about some of those early nights when I did way, way more than I should have. Took way bigger risks than I should have. But I feel like that, having that missià± ng screw loose, I feel like that almost goes hand-in-hand with having the passion to make it this far.
And iâf you almost donât go through with that⊠I canât say that for sure, because certainly other people havenât done that kind of stuff to still make it far, but I feel like, again, that just goes with my trajectory. I have to take those crazy rêŠisks and and do the crazy, stupid things to kind of learn to understand when to do them and when to not do them, and eventually get smarter and better at what Iâm doing. Good enough to line myself up here, which is where Iâm at now, so I guess I wouldnât change any of it."
And now,đ going into the Money In The Bank ladder maâtch--with a WWE Title Shot on the line--for the second year in a row, he was asked how he's changed since that first ladder match 15 years ago.
"Well it's a very different game, because also my mentality has changed since 2002. I think I was a lot more drawn, especially back then, to the risks and to the high-flying, high-impact stuff. And it's not to say that that is gone, it's not gone, obviously. You see a lot of my matches will have a lot of high-impact stuff, but it's really to me more about the dramatics, and I think that's đŠreally the name of the game when you get to the WWE. It's really more about the story and the hunt and the chase and everything else, and I think that's where the real drama is and the real connections are made with tđhe audience. Don't get me wrong. Jeff Hardy doing that Swanton off the ladder the first time is something so memorable and you'll replay that a thousand times over, but really... you know you probably don't remember every single move that those guys did back then in those TLC matches - those guys being the Hardyz and Dudleys and Edge and Christian. You don't remember all the crazy moves or the crazy risks they took, you just remember kind of how the matches made you feel, and the ride the match took you on. And I think ultimately that's more important than any singular move or risk or whatever you want to call it."
WWE âMoney In The BaêŠĄnk is tonight at 8/7c, and Fightul will have full coverage, including at post-show podcast.
