"He looked like a child" - Sami Zayn discusses why WWE didn't hire a dominant superstar back in the day

WWE Superstar Sami Zayn recently spoke about why the company did not recruit Gunther back in the day.

Gunther, formerly known as WALTER, has dominated his opponents since making his debut on the blue brand. The former NXT UK Champion recently crossed paths with Ricochet as the latter tried to save Drew Gulak from a beatdown at the hands of the Austrian superstar.

On this week's episode of After the Bell, The Master Strategist predicted that Gunther would pick up a huge win over Ricochet this week on SmackDown and win the Intercontinental Championship.

"Gunther of course. I'm a big fan. I'm a big fan of Gunther. I don't like Ricochet's chances," Zayn said.

The former champion also recalled his earlier encounters with The Ring General and discussed how WWE had passed on him back in the day.

"I think I wrestled him in 2011 or something, or 2010. Met him ages ago in Germany. He was really good. I had a pretty good relationship with one of the guys who did the high ring back in NXT when I first got here. He asked me about Walter at that time. He said, 'What about this Walter, Big Van Walter?' I was like 'Yeah, great. You should get him.' I don't know why they passed. I think at that time he had a real baby face. I don't mean he was a good guy, I mean he looked like a child. He looked like an overgrown child. He had a childish face," Zayn continued. (From 42:00 - 43:13)

---

Sami Zayn is working on SmackDown as the "Honorary Uce"

In the weeks following WrestleMania, The Elder Statesman of SmackDown has been seeking membership into The Bloodline. While Zayn acknowledged that he was not related to Roman Reigns or The Usos by blood, he asked to become a member of the faction by association.

Last week, Sami Zayn was in the back and played Reigns' music, which distracted Riddle and helped The Usos win the Undisputed Tag Team Championship match on SmackDown. Clearly, his allegiance to the stable is making a strong impact.

It will be interesting to see how this connection with Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline will pan out for the Honorary Uce in the weeks to come.

---

While using the quote from this article, please credit After the Bell and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcript.