Sami Zayn Recalls How He Earned Vince McMahon's Trust In WWE

Sami Zayn has revealed how his actions as a special guest referee in a match between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins led to him earning Vince McMahon's trust on the microphone.

Zayn served as the official between Rollins and Owens on a June 2019 episode of Raw, in which he disqualified Rollins before getting into a confrontation with the then Universal Champion.

Zayn believes that segment led to his eventual use as a mouth-piece for Shinsuke Nakamura as it allowed McMahon to fully see what he is capable of.

Speaking on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, Zayn said: "You never know which segment is going to open their eyes. I think I was already doing pretty good work in the ring and had established myself as more than competent in the ring and holding my own on the microphone as a good guy, and especially, doing really good work as a bad guy.

"But then there was one day where I was a guest referee for Kevin [Owens] vs. Seth [Rollins]. I was just doing me. When I got back, they were all doubled over. That’s what I think that inspired the idea for me to be a mouthpiece for Shinsuke [Nakamura]. I came back and Vince is like, ‘You have the gift of gab'.

"I wasn’t even cutting a promo, I was just being a ref, but they just started seeing me in a new light of, ‘This guy, he can be so much. He can do so much for other people.’ I think they saw a broader vision for me in that moment. Someone who can be a manager even 10-15 years down the road. They just started seeing me in that different light. There was a new trust."

H/T 411 Wrestling