Sami Zayn On If WWE Should Keep The Brands Separate
With WWE Survivor Series coming up this Sunday, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura were recent guests on Mike Jones' podcast for DC 101 to hype the event.
During the interview, Zayn and Nakamura were asked about the upcoming event, in which United States Champion AJ Styles will take on NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong and Intercontinental Champion Nakamura in a triple threat match, which has all the makings to be a highlight this Sunday.
Zayn explained that having NXT added to the mix is going to make the event even more special.
"I think NXT being added to the mix really changes the dynamic a little bit," Zayn said. "I know just for Shinsuke, he can speak on it more than me, but I know his match, for me personally just as a fan, is probably the match I'm most excited about because those are three guys with a lot of history there between Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and Roderick Strong, three respective champions on each of their brands.
"That's gonna be, I think a great match and I know Shinsuke mentioned he is excited about that, so it's a lot of that type of stuff and yeah definitely an exciting time of year."
A look to the event and Zayn is asked what other matches he is looking forward to. He is quick to explain what the magic of the Survivor Series is – matches that you probably haven't ever seen before happening before fan's eyes.
"These are matches you have never seen," Zayn said. "Which for me, looking at it as a fan, it's always fun when you can see stuff that you can't normally see. Between the RAW and SmackDown brands, there's been a lot of movement over the last year or two with a lot of people bouncing back and forth especially with the wild card rule, so you saw a lot of guys mix it up with each other.
"Now that you add NXT, you're seeing matches you've never seen before and that you might never see again. That match with Becky, Bailey, and Shayna is just one example but you got the team SmackDown, team NXT, team RAW. It's just a cast of characters that you might never see against each other in the ring again. I think the whole event is very, very intriguing."
The debate has rumbled for months about whether WWE should have a definitive roster split or if superstars should be free to roam. Zayn is quick to stress that he prefers it when the brand split is in effect, talent should be exclusive.
"For me personally, I prefer the distinction," Zayn explained. "I prefer SmackDown staying there and RAW staying there. I think it is a good way for people to get more opportunities to really shine. I'm for the interweaving of the brands maybe once or twice a year like we are doing now with Survivor Series. It makes it very interesting when you see it here and there.
"So, you see how exciting it is now at Survivor Series, once or twice a year people jump that line, jump the fence, it's pretty exciting."
WWE Survivor Series takes place this Sunday from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit DC101 with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. New subscribers can sign up for the WWE Network today by clicking here and get their first month for free, which includes NXT Takeover: WarGames this Saturday as well as WWE Survivor Series this Sunday.