Sami Zayn Says He's 'Not Even Close' to WWE Return

Despite WWE recently running a video package on Sami Zayn, the injured WWE star pushed back on the notion that he's close to returning during a recent podcast appearance.

As a guest on Chris Jericho's podcast, Talk Is Jericho, Zayn spoke about his absence from wrestling over the last five months and when we can expect to see him in the ring again. Perhaps most surprising was the comments from Zayn that he hasn't missed the wrestling business one bit since being off.

"I know wrestling fans, maybe don't want to hear this, but I've been loving being off," Zayn explained. "I think wrestling fans want to hear, 'I can't wait to be back and I miss everything.' I don't miss anything. I don't miss it yet. I'm surprised by how little I've missed it. Five months and I don't miss it. What's up with that?

"Maybe I'm overstating my lack of desire to return. I do miss performing. Like you said, I've been doing this a super long time. We're on the road a lot. You know how it is. I just know that when I'll be back, I'll really enjoy it. I'm not sitting there itching and clawing and I don't know if my employer will want to hear that."

As mentioned, WWE ran a video package hyping Zayn's return as "soon" this past week on Monday Night RAW. Zayn is recovering from double shoulder surgery and has been at the WWE Performance Center recently doing rehab work, but the idea that he is close sounds far-fetched.

"I'm not even close [to being cleared]. I need a few more months," Zayn said.

Perhaps that time frame would put Zayn back in time for WrestleMania 35, which is likely a goal from the perspective of both Zayn and WWE. We'll have to wait and see.

Zayn further explained his perspective on his pending comeback.

"I told myself early on. I said, 'I'm not even gonna think about this stuff 'til November.' Well it's November. It's also out of my hands. If I'm still a few months away from coming back and I go, 'I've got this idea. I want to come back this way.' Then when it's actually time for you to comeback, it's math. Where does he factor in? OK, plug him in here and all these things you've been thinking about for three months, getting married to these ideas are gonna end in toil anyway.

"This time off made me really OK with when I don't do this anymore….if I never do this again ever, I'm totally OK with it. I'm OK with who I am with wrestling and without wrestling. That's how I feel today…I don't know how I'll feel in three years. As it stands at this moment, if I never wrestle again, I'm OK with that as a person, but all the more reason that I'm grateful that I can come back and I can still do this for however long I can still do this for. I'm really grateful for it. I've been overwhelmed with gratitude in this time off because the more I looked into myself, the more I realized how lucky I am and it really really made me grateful."

H/T to WrestleZone for the interview transcript.