Over the past few years, Sami Zayn has been an integral part of WWE. He has been involved in many engaging segments and storylines in the promotion. He has been an active wrestler, making appearances and wrestling on almost every major premium live event except the ones that took place in Saudi Arabia until 2023.

Dive deep with us as we explore the reason behind his absence from major events that took place in Saudi Arabia.

Sami Zayn’s heritage prevented him from attending Saudi Arabian events

WWE signed a 10-year contract with Saudi Arabia in 2018. Since then, the sports entertainment giant has held one or more major events in the country on a yearly basis. Every active superstar attends the event as usual. Except the 39-year-old superstar never went to those events until this year.

Saudi Arabia has gained notoriety for its active participation in the Syrian Civil War. Saudi Arabia and Syria have shared a lot of bad history. When WWE signed a deal with Saudi Arabia, Zayn was one of the superstars who decided to stay away from Saudi events. It was also reported that WWE wanted to keep Zayn away from these events to avoid controversy.

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This is because he has a Syrian heritage. He was born in Quebec, Canada. Both of his parents are Syrian Muslims. They immigrated to Canada from Homs, Syria in the 1970s. Though it was not official, he was sort of banned from the country because of his Syrian dynasty.

After five long years, he has received permission to perform in Saudi Arabia, following a resumption of diplomatic missions between the rival countries.

Sami Zayn received a warm welcome from the Saudi crowd

A few months ago, Zayn was involved in a feud with Bloodline. His involvement in the storyline demanded his presence at Night of Champions, which took place at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 27, 2023.

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Since the rival countries have restored their relationship, Zayn was allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for WWE Night of Champions. Before the event, the Stamford-based promotion held a press conference in the country. During the press conference, the fans welcomed him with open arms despite his Syrian heritage.

They treated him like a hero in a battle and welcomed him with loud cheers and chants. It was overwhelming to see how nicely the Saudi Arabia crowd treated him. That is the power of sports. By bringing people together, it serves to promote universal values that are not bound by language or culture.

What do you think about Sami Zayn’s absence from WWE events in Saudi Arabia up until 2023? Do tell us in the comments below.

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