Current champion's controversial comments about Saudi Arabia removed from WWE podcast

Sami Zayn's remarks about why he missed previous shows in Saudi Arabia were removed from WWE's After The Bell podcast.

Zayn and Kevin Owens successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at Night of Champions. It was Zayn's first premium live event in Saudi Arabia, which coincided with the Kingdom's restoration of diplomatic ties with Syria.

In a recent appearance on the After The Bell podcast, Zayn clarified that all the reports surrounding him about Saudi Arabia were not true.

"First of all, the fact that I haven't been there in a few years, and that there's been so much speculation as to why I'm not going and what's the political reasoning, this and that," Zayn said. "I won't get into all of it, but I'll tell you 99.9% of what you've read online about this subject — completely fabricated. People assuming things and then running with those assumptions and adding on to them. It's wild, I think it's anytime they can't get a concrete answer, that's kind of what tends to happen. I think that's like human nature, almost." (h/t WrestlingNews.Co)

According to WrestleTalk, WWE has removed the original recording of the show and replaced it with a new one that removed Zayn's comments on the subject.

There were several reports over the years on why Sami Zayn has not been booked for events in Saudi Arabia. Zayn, who was born in Canada to Syrian immigrant parents, was not permitted to enter Saudi Arabia due to his heritage since there was a conflict between the two Middle East nations.

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Sami Zayn shares 'insane' story from when he signed with WWE

In the same appearance on the After The Bell podcast, Sami Zayn revealed a very interesting story about when he first joined NXT in 2013.

"I remember when I got to WWE, it was NXT or something like that," Zayn said. "It was very much the mentality of, 'You should be furious that you're here. You should want to get out of here.' ... I remember a line something to the extent of, 'If you don't want to be the next John Cena, you shouldn't even be here.' I remember hearing that and being completely (shocked). 'What? This is insanity.'" (h/t Fightful)

Zayn never became the next John Cena, and only one has reached that status — Roman Reigns. Nevertheless, WWE does not need a bunch of John Cenas to be successful, and superstars don't have to follow his path.

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What's your favorite from Sami Zayn's career so far? Share your answer in the comments section below.