Sami Zayn Reflects On Conversation With John Cena After World Title Win

Sami Zayn shocked the WWE Universe when he defeated Cody Rhodes and GUNTHER to become Undisputed WWE Champion at Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earning his first world title in WWE. Despite Zayn working more heel over the last few months, fans were thrilled for him, as were his fellow WWE stars and others outside of the company. One of those stars who wished Zayn well was John Cena, who Zayn admitted to ESPN New York he was surprised to hear from.

"He sent me a message and he just kind of reminded me of the difficulty of attaining this, and less than one percent of people who ever aspire to do what we do ever gets to this point, and that's not lost on me," Zayn said. "But, to hear it coming from him, just saying, 'Congratulations.' One of the things he said that also really touched me was, 'You know, this is genuinely earned...' The thing that stuck to me is just that he said to me, 'You did it your way.' Man, I just thought that was so cool coming from him."

Zayn said it was really touching, because Cena didn't have to text him at all, but he did. He said "The Never Seen 17" is a "very thoughtful person" and that he believes Cena was trying to remind him to be mindful of how difficult it is to reach the top of the mountain, and that Zayn should be proud.

Before winning the Undisputed WWE Championship, Zayn captured the NXT Championship back in 2015. He is also a former two-time United States Champion and four-time Intercontinental Champion. He held both the "Raw" and "SmackDown" Tag Team Championships alongside Kevin Owens.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit ESPN and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.