Sami Zayn addressed the ongoing discussion around his WWE Championship reign in a recent interview with ESPN New York, and he made it clear that he doesn't think a world champion has to fit a specific mold. Ever since he won the title, Zayn has received strong support from fans. But some voices inside the wrestling community have questioned whether he represents the traditional image of a world champion. Rather than avoiding the criticism, he answered it straight up, and explained why he believes wrestling success should be judged by performance instead of preconceived expectations.

Sami Zayn Rejects Traditional Expectations of a WWE Champion

When asked about the discussion surrounding his championship run, Zayn first acknowledged that fans are entitled to their own opinions. 

"Look, if you just don't like me, that's fine. You're certainly allowed to not like me."

Then he said that the real problem starts when people think there is only one acceptable image of a world champion, because that's what they've always been seeing.

"If you start getting married to an archetype of what you've been taught, like this is what you should want and then that's all you buy. Without insulting anybody here, I just think that's kind of a lack of free thought. Like, a lack of intelligence?"

He compared that way of thinking to somebody who basically spends their whole life in one single place, never experiencing anything else. And based on his own moving around across the world, he said people should be open to different styles instead of expecting everything to fit the same formula.

Sami Zayn Says Performance Matters More Than Expectations 

Zayn also said there are many ways to connect with an audience, and just like there are different cultures, experiences and perspectives around the world. He believes fans should judge what they see in the ring instead of deciding ahead of time what a champion has to look like.

"If I'm just not your cup of tea, fair play, but the idea that a champion needs to be this or needs to be that, I'm like, oh well, you're an idiot. Nothing needs to be anything, right? If it's good, it's good."

Zayn ended by pointing to the consistency of his own performances over the past few years.

"I've always kind of subscribed to that, I think the work I've been putting out over the last few years is good."