Sami Zayn discusses changing stereotypes in WWE 

Mike Jones' infamous podcast for DC 101 recently featured WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura alongside Superstar Sami Zayn for an interview.

Mustafa Ali's recent comments on changing stereotypes in WWE prompted host Mike Jones to direct a similar question towards Zayn who is of Arab descent.

Jones brought the attention of the listeners towards the huge difference in which the Muslims and Arabs have been portrayed in the company as compared to the recent portrayals of different ethnic groups.

The question held special relevance in this particular context as both Nakamura and Zayn represent completely different backgrounds. Addressing the gradual change in the overall characterization of Superstars who come from other parts of the world, Zayn said,

"For me personally, it's one of the things I love about this generation. Shinsuke's [Nakamura] gimmick doesn't revolve around him being Japanese. Like me, being Arab, I'm not coming out with a turban or acting the way the Iron Sheik acted. I'm a performer who happens to be Arabic.

Zan also talked about the likes of Finn Balor and Nakamura himself who belong to different cultures but are never forced to work that in their character on the Television. Instead, Zayns stated that he is glad about the way in which WWE focuses on the skills of the individual rather than using relying on someone's ethnic background to create a gimmick.

"Finn Balor, he's an Irishman and it's not like he comes out with a box of lucky charms or waving an Irish flag talking with a funny accent to be Irish. It's just a lot more rooted in (the) reality of who we actually are and not playing this caricature or this stereotype of our background.

Zayn then went on to talk about who has done a commendable job in breaking stereotypes in the business and applauded his comments by saying,

"So, I applaud Mustafa Ali for that for trying to break that. It's something I have been interested in as well." (Special credit to WrestlingInc for the transcription)

Superstars like Zayn, Nakamura, Balor, and Ali are an inspiration to several fans who dream of coming from far off land and making a future in WWE.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn will be competing against The Miz in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match at Starrcade 2019 with the Intercontinental title on the line.