Sami Zayn Remembers Trying To Keep El Generico’s Identity Under Wraps

In a recent interview with Out of Character, Sami Zayn recalled trying to balance the public and private aspects of his wrestling work early in his career (via Wrestling Inc). As the man behind the mask for El Generico, Zayn was heavily focused on keeping his performer identity out of the public eye. You can find a few highlights on the tropic and listen to the complete interview below.

On balancing aspects of his now-famous status with his personal life: “I wonder if there’s a chicken and the egg sort of situation here. The character that I played prior to coming to WWE, that needed to be shrouded in privacy and secrecy.”

On the effort to keep his identity secret as El Generico: “When I would wear a mask, there were times that the mask was tied too tight. You would see a tiny bit of my hair in the back and when I would see that on screen, it would drive me crazy. It’s almost like if you saw little human fingers sticking out of R2-D2. You’re like, ‘Oh, there’s a little guy there. That’s not a robot!’ It takes you out of it.”

On the audience response to Generico’s secret identity: “When I went into the States, for those first six or seven years, I saw almost no leaks of what my face actually looked like. Also, the fans weren’t seeking it out because it does kill the allure a little bit.”