Sami Zayn On NXT Touring, His Favorite WrestleMania Match, Representing The Middle East

Sami Zayn was on Between the Ropes to talk about NXT, the brand growing and going on the road, and other topics. You can check out the highlights below, and the full video above.

* Zayn says this is his third WrestleMania weekend.

* Zayn raves about Randy Savage, his character, and how people responded to his creative but natural persona.

* Zayn says he grew up with WWE, and was only introduced to WCW in 1996, around the time the NWO showed up.

* He says that he discovered ECW around 2000 or 2001, and Japanese wrestling not long after that. He says it helped mold him as a professional wrestler.

* He says the workhorse guys who traveled were a template for him in-ring.

* As a kid, he says wrestling was all about Bret Hart in Canada. He said he thought Hart was at his best during his fifth title reign in WWE.

* Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin is Zayn's favorite WrestleMania match.

* Zayn says he didn't feel like the Middle East had much representation in the WWE outside of a heel Iron Sheik. He's happy to be their go-to guy now.

* Zayn says Arabs are vilified in media, and he wants to break that mold and be positive. He doesn't want to put that on his shoulders, but wants to show a different side of people's pre-conceived notions.

* Zayn says sitting out during an injury is a bitter pill to swallow, but people need to do it. He says it kills him that he's not on NXT this weekend or WrestleMania this year.

* He says he's done a lot of road tours including with WWE, so touring with NXT isn't that different.

* Zayn isn't dying to get out of NXT, because he's confident he'll be on the main roster eventually.

* He said NXT talents make their turn instead of making the territory a holding pattern.