Sami Zayn Defends WWE’s Writing Team Amid Recent Slump

It’s been easy to point out WWE‘s shortcomings in recent weeks. But Sami Zayn is here to remind the wrestling world that WWE’s creative process is complex and we should channel patience instead of slinging criticisms.

During an appearance on Talk is Jericho, Zayn took up for WWE’s writing team saying that unless you’re actually in WWE’s machine, it’s impossible to fully understand how things work.

“Yeah and you gotta run it up the chain of command and it’s very difficult and, man people don’t know, and you don’t know unless you’re there. You truly don’t know unless you’re there, and not to do with nothing but I just want to take this time, to actually give the writers a little bit of a break, because they get crapped on the most, but people don’t understand how it works there, and it’s not the writers, it’s not the agents, it’s not the talents, it’s just something about the system that it works a very specific way and unless you’re in it you don’t know,’” Zayn explained.

WWE has been under scrutiny for most of November and December for its stretch of lackluster episodes of Raw. After the show hit an all-time low in ratings, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H all showed up on Raw to apologize for their flaccid efforts and swore that WWE would open a new era. We’re still not sure what that means, but we’re hopeful nonetheless.

To Zayn, amending WWE’s product is no easy task. Ideas are vetted, usually under a lens that wrestlers themselves are frustrated by. But per Zayn, every decision needs Vince McMahon’s stamp of approval.

“So it’s very easy to sit at home and watch and go, ‘Why are they pushing this person? What are they doing?’ Man, it’s harder than you think. Cut everybody some slack. It’s tricky. Neither here nor there. I’m just saying because it’s very hard to explain to people who aren’t in it.” Sami said. “But even if Vince has an idea and you wanna change it, getting it to Vince, you know like, ‘Oh man, well the show is already… we’re about to go live’ and that might affect what they’re doing in seg 6 like it’s very… it’s a puzzle piece, and I’m not putting the heat all on Vince and saying it’s just one guy. No, he factors into a lot of stuff you don’t factor in. I’ve gone to him before with what I thought was a really good idea and he’s like, ‘Oh but it doesn’t work and here’s why’ and I’m like, Oh okay, yeah’.”

[H/T Fightful]