Sami Zayn Reflects On WWE WrestleMania Match With Johnny Knoxville

In one of his memorable WrestleMania moments, Sami Zayn took on "Jackass" actor and stuntman Johnny Knoxville in a match where anything went. The bout blended comedy with violence, and according to Zayn, remains one of the personal favorites of his entire wrestling career.

During a recent interview with "Insight With Chris Van Vliet," Zayn looked back on the zany WWE WrestleMania 38 performance, which resulted in him being pinned down by a mouse trap released by Knoxville.

"At that time, that match could only be Sami Zayn versus Johnny Knoxville," Zayn said. "You couldn't put two other people in there and have the same match. That's kind of what I liked about it. All the things that happened. It's easy to watch it and reduce it to just, oh, there was a bunch of weapons and stuff, but in fact it was just a wrestling match, and those gadgets, that's his signature offense, because his signature offense is from the Jackass world. He doesn't have wrestling moves. He has Jackass stunts. So the moves were replaced by the Jackass stunts, but they still serve the same function."

With nothing off limits, Zayn and Knoxville introduced a number of weapons into the fold, including a fire extinguisher, taser, trash can, tables, and a pair of tongs. Knoxville also brought along several of his "Jackass" co-stars, who helped him slide out the gigantic mouse trap later used against his WWE veteran opponent.

Trying to keep kayfabe alive, Zayn reiterated that he still "hates" Knoxville four years later. At the same time, the now-Undisputed WWE Champion acknowledged Knoxville as the perfect opponent for that particular WrestleMania match scenario.

Like Zayn, much of the WWE Universe recall this Anything Goes Match quite fondly. Just before heading out to the ring, however, Zayn remembered feeling a twinge of doubt that it would have the opposite effect.

"This is gonna sound cocky for sure, but I'll have these moments," Zayn said. "Let's say I've put something together, I've thought of it, and I've reviewed it a bunch of times in my head, where I'm just like, oh my God, these people have no idea what's about to hit them. Okay, I'm exaggerating. What I'm trying to say is, I'll go, this is bulletproof, there's no way this is not going to get them. But then there is self-doubt. So right up until the curtain, I would fluctuate between oh my god, even if you hate me, even if you hate wrestling, and you somehow got dragged to this show, this will get you. There's no way around it."

Zayn vs. Knoxville took place on night two of WrestleMania 38, set inside AT&T Stadium in April 2022. A singles match between Bobby Lashley and Omos preceded it. The fatal-four-way for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships — Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Carmella and Queen Zelina vs. Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya and Shayna Baszler — followed. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar later fought in the main event, putting the WWE and Universal Championships on the line in a Winners Takes All bout.