Popular WWE star compares Sami Zayn's popularity in Montreal to CM Punk in Chicago heading into Elimination Chamber

Sami Zayn's popularity in Montreal has been compared to CM Punk's popularity in Chicago by current WWE star Cody Rhodes.

Zayn will be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the upcoming Elimination Chamber PLE, which is set to take place in Montreal, Canada.

Speaking in a recent interview on MMA Hour, Rhodes explained how his late father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, would feel if he found out that his son was set for a WrestleMania match against Roman Reigns.

"There's probably going to be a lot of that because I think about him [Dusty Rhodes] so much heading into this situation solely because I think he was one of the few people who thought this could happen for me. But he would lose it if he knew I was wrestling Roman, one of his guys, in Hollywood, a place where he wanted me to be in the first place and if he found out say it's not Roman because the situation with Montreal and the February pay-per-view, it sometimes feels like, what do we say like a lame duck," said Rhodes.

Rhodes further compared Zayn in Montreal to Punk in Chicago and didn't rule out the possibility of facing the popular WWE star at WrestleMania.

"I can't compare anything to Montreal other than Punk in Chicago. As composed as Roman is, this is a very unique scenario, so the idea that it could be Sami Zayn is not remotely off the table for me at all," added Rhodes. [11:40-12:38]

---

WWE star Cody Rhodes also spoke about CM Punk's All out press conference

CM Punk made headlines last year, courtesy of his press conference after the AEW All Out pay-per-view.

Shortly after winning the AEW World Championship, he took digs at company executives Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. This reportedly led to a huge backstage scuffle between the two parties.

Speaking on MMA Hour, Cody Rhodes, a former EVP of AEW, opened up about the situation.

He said:

“I’m not putting any blame on anybody, but I just hated seeing that. Because, as the company grows, and I hope it continues to grow, I hope people remember the mission in the first place. Why we were there. And if you bring in people that don’t know the mission, things like that can happen. And I’m not saying he [Punk] didn’t know the mission or anything of that nature, but I was just bummed out."

Rhodes will be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. His opponent is likely to be Roman Reigns, who remains a massive favorite over Sami Zayn for their title match at Elimination Chamber.

---

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit MMA Hour and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.