Sami Zayn Contrasts Working Onstage In Standup With Performing In WWE Ring

Having conquered professional wrestling for the better part of the last several decades, Sami Zayn has now decided to give a career as a standup comedian a try. The WWE Intercontinental Champion already has two shows under his belt, including one that took place before WWE Money in the Bank in Toronto earlier this month, and is set for another show next week in Cleveland, Ohio, just days before he wrestles at SummerSlam.

In an interview with Wrestling Inc., Zayn compared and contrasted working onstage as a comedian to what it's like working as a wrestler. Zayn admitted he was still a bit more comfortable going out there and performing as a wrestler, although he attributed that to his years of experience, and was candid that he still experienced nerves on that front as well, though he has more nerves with comedy.

"Comedy is a different animal because it's not just... I'm not even worried about flubbing my words or messing up jokes or anything like that," Zayn said. "It's like I'm putting these shows together and they're kind of interwoven from one bit to the next bit to the next bit. It's all kind of linked, and I don't really get a chance to get off stage and I have all these different things to remember with all these different people.

"And so it's just a different kind of stress. But it is very, very stressful. Those last couple of shows, those two shows I did each time we started, I think five minutes late because they're like, 'All right, you ready to go on?' I'm like 'No, I'm not. One sec.' And I'm just trying to find a quiet corner, and I'm just blanking. I'm like 'What am I going to do? Why am I even doing this?'"