40-year-old star DEBUNKS fake rumors of his leave of absence from WWE amid likely WrestleMania snub
The Great Liberator is amidst an ongoing hiatus from WWE. It has sparked some speculation if there's more that meets the eye.
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Sami Zayn with CM Punk & The OG Bloodline (via WWE)
If one is wondering where Sami Zayn has disappeared from WWE programming all of a sudden, he’s not on a leave of absence, at least. The rumor that he’d asked WWE for it was floating on the internet. Consequently, the 40-year-old had to debunk it. The former Honorary Uce was last seen at the Elimination Chamber PLE.
He battled Kevin Owens in an unsanctioned match. Since it was staged in Toronto, the two Canucks got to perform in front of their people. To accentuate the stipulation, WWE did some tweaks. The lights were switched off, barring those which focused on the wrestlers.
Furthermore, the match referee, Rod Zapata, wore a tee that didn’t feature the WWE logo, implying that the company wouldn’t be responsible for any mishaps. Deep into their match, which had already been physical, a steel chair wrapped around with barbed wire was introduced by Zayn.
100% faux. https://t.co/1m75hfbIoA
— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) March 22, 2025
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that the chair wasn’t gimmicked. The match result, however, didn’t go in Sami’s favor. Had Randy Orton not showed up later on, Owens would’ve ended Zayn’s career by messing up his neck via package piledriver on concrete.
However, the beating that the ex-Bloodline member had endured was enough to write him off. There’s no word on when Zayn will be back. One could sense that his return might not happen before WrestleMania 41, if not during the two-night spectacle itself. His snub seems likely with no major story to fit him on the card.
Sami Zayn has booked himself into a corner
Things could’ve been different for Sami Zayn if he had listened to Kevin Owens. The Prizefighter asked his compatriot to help him dethrone Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title at Royal Rumble. During the closing moments of that high-stakes ladder match, Zayn did pop up at ringside.
It appeared to many that he’d push Rhodes off the ladder and gift Kevin Owens the world title that he was chasing since 2017. However, The American Nightmare unhooked the suspended titles to continue his reign. Owens, by that point, was out cold, courtesy of a powerbomb on one of the ladders, thanks to Cody.
Sami let it happen on his watch, which he might regret for the rest of his life. Had he pulled the trigger, he could’ve gone on to win the Royal Rumble match and face Owens in the main event of WrestleMania. That would’ve been a sight to behold.
However, The Underdog from the Underground was too concerned about rupturing his brotherhood with Rhodes. It’s why Kevin eventually snapped at Zayn. In hindsight, everything that transpired has only hurt Sami. He’s on the cusp of not even making it to WrestleMania while his once-best friend has a certain ‘Viper’ to deal with.
Sami Zayn recently dined with Kieran Culkin
A few days ago, the former Intercontinental Champion made his first public appearance since Elimination Chamber. The Syrian-Canadian wrestler was with his wife, Khadija, as the two of them dined with Oscar-winning actor Kieran Culkin.
The latter was also accompanied by his better half, Jazz Charton. For the unversed, Zayn, who’s Muslim, is currently observing the holy month of Ramadan. It might also be the reason behind his absence. The former El Generico likely wanted to spend some quality time with his wife and son.
Since WWE is currently on a three-week tour in Europe, there’s extensive traveling involved with it that Zayn probably wanted to avoid while fasting during Ramadan. The fans could expect him to return to WWE television once the roster arrives in the US.
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