From Stevie McFly to El Generico, it’s come a long way for Rami Sebei to become wrestler Sami Zayn, star of two WWE Galas presented at the Bell Center this weekend.
• Also read: It will brew in Montreal
Born in Laval, the 38-year-old is very proud of his Montreal roots. He also wore a T-shirt with the city’s logo at a press briefing Friday morning.
“It’s sick, it’s really hard to understand all this because I’ve been fighting all week, so I’m losing perspective a bit.
Photo Dave Levesque
Sami Zayn is the star of WWE this weekend in Montreal. We see it in a press conference on Friday morning.
“Coming back to Montreal and saying, oh my god, this is where I started, I understand that something like this doesn’t happen often on a weekend like this. »
To buckle the buckle
For Zayn, it’s an opportunity to come full circle. You see, Pat Laprade told us earlier this week that this was the biggest wrestling event in town since Survivor Series in 1997. However, this is the first gala Sami Zayn attended when he was a young teenager.
He came home to wrestle, of course, and that was with his awesome friend Kevin Owens, who often gets more media space. It’s his weekend this time. He is the headliner of the two galas.
“I’m very proud. It was always a dream of mine to start being the Montreal guy. That was even before Kev signed with WWE.
“We’re pretty lucky there because there are two guys from Montreal and two guys who I think are pretty talented and represent the city well. »
For the city
As already mentioned, his heart beats for Montreal and he never missed an opportunity to talk about the city during the nearly ten-minute interview.
Even if he lives in the USA for professional reasons, we feel very comfortable that his heart is in the snow.
“It’s an honor to have the city a part of wrestling history through my presence. The fact that this fight is being presented in Montreal is a nice note in the story.
“It’s rare that the city that hosts this type of gala has its place in the history of the weekend and I’m very proud that Montreal can have the light for people to see it’s a special city is. »
art form
With the huge success of WWE, a lot of emphasis was placed on the theatrical aspect of wrestling, but it’s so much more than that.
Sami says it bluntly, it’s a gravitational pull that drew him to this sport that offers a lot more subtlety than we’d like to believe.
“It’s one of the most beautiful art forms because [c’est] four or five disciplines in one. There’s the athletic and technical dimension, but there’s also drama, comedy and acting. You have to excel on many levels to be a good wrestler.
“When I was young it was more the entertainment side that attracted me like Hulk Hogan, there was a grandiose aspect to it, but I also like sports. »
Change
What strikes you when you find yourself next to the very friendly and approachable man is his size. It’s not a muscle mountain. He is noted as looking more like a defender for the Montreal Canadiens, a team he also adores.
“Wrestling, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, has a history where the wrestlers were really big. Wrestlers’ physiques have changed over the past fifteen years, but we see it in the movies too, a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s doesn’t exist anymore. Now let’s look at a guy like Jason Statham and he’s got an athletic build but he’s not even 300 pounds.
“It’s the same with the UFC. The best fighters aren’t heavyweight. Georges St-Pierre, for example, struggled at 170 pounds and was one of the biggest stars in that environment. »
The head in Syria
Born in Laval to parents who immigrated from Syria in the 1970s, Sami Zayn is naturally challenged by the earthquake that shook the country, especially as he is personally involved in humanitarian aid.
“I have mobile clinics in Syria with the Sami 4 Syria Foundation. You meet people who don’t have a car or live in refugee camps. Medications will be mailed to you directly.
“I’m lucky not to have family in that part of the country, but that’s where our clinics work, so naturally I’m thinking of that. »
His only regret: not having enough time to get more involved.
“Since the earthquake I’ve wanted to do more, but I’m so busy with this big weekend that it’s difficult to combine the two. »
A family affair
Photo Dave Levesque
Natalya, whose real name is Nathalie Katherine Neidhart, is the daughter of Jim Neidhart and the niece of Owen and Brett Hart.
Natalya lives in Tampa Bay for work, but her story begins in Canada. She still owns property in Calgary, where she is from.
Her real name, Nathalie Katherine Neidhart, is the daughter of former wrestler Jim Neidhart and the niece of Owen and Bret Hart, her mother’s brothers. The Hart family’s father, Stu, also had a successful career in the wrestling world.
“I first stepped foot in the dungeons when I was 18 and from that day on I always knew I wanted to be a wrestler.
“I never had a plan B because I knew plan A would work. I’m a Hart,” says the 40-year-old.
Special weekend
It is something special for her to spend a few days in Montreal, where she feels at home.
“It’s very special for me to be here because Montreal holds an important place in my family’s history.
“There is, of course, that 1997 incident, the Montreal Screwjob, involving my Uncle Bret that changed the face of wrestling. »
She’s talking about this fight where her uncle, right before he went to WCW, was “stuck” with a wrong scenario that he was the only one who had while all the other wrestlers involved had a different one.
It is the world equivalent of the night long knife fight in the political sphere.
events
Canada means a lot to the Hart family so it’s like coming home to be able to fight here. We have great respect for the people who have enabled us to reach these heights.
“I feel like the people here understand our journey with what happened with Bret and Owen and my husband and they have always been on our side. »
It must be said that the family has not been spared hardship over the years.
Owen Hart died in the middle of a 1999 gala after falling several feet while Natalya’s husband, Canadian wrestler Tyson Kidd, was forced to retire due to a serious spinal cord injury sustained in a fight.
rare species
Much like Sami Zayn, she insists that wrestling is made up of many layers of subtlety.
“It’s a mix of athletics and play, so very few people in the world can do what we do. We have to be good actors, good athletes.
“We have to wear several hats by being representatives of the brand but also of ourselves. It’s something I really enjoy doing and I’m a passionate wrestler, especially women’s wrestling. »
Only at the press meeting on Friday morning were the wrestlers in attendance able to switch from character to person on the fly as soon as the camera rolled.
“We are professionals. It’s not like a Hollywood movie set. You only have one take when you’re in the ring. We have to be good at improvising sometimes. »