Sami Zayn talks about hitting the Brainbustah on Gunther en route to capturing the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XL.
Sami Zayn wasn't as big of a focal point going into WrestleMania XL as he was going into WrestleMania 39 in 2023 but he still found a way to tell a compelling story and pay homage to earlier days in his career throughout his Intercontinental Championship match with Gunther. Zayn would hit the Top Rope Brainbustah, a signature move during his time as El Generico, to set up for his Helluva Kick finish that put an end to Gunther's 666 days as champion.
Speaking in a new interview with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp about getting the move approved ahead of time, Zayn said he felt he had a little more leeway with someone like Triple H in charge since Triple H was a former wrestler and he also discussed the differences between this maneuver from his past and Kevin Owens' Package Piledriver.
"For sure, timing played a part in it. There were other times I thought of pulling it out, but it didn’t seem right. This year, it felt right. With Hunter in charge, and he’s a wrestler, there is a bit more leeway with that kind of stuff," he said. "It’s also different with the Package Piledriver because that’s a piledriver. It’s different from a brainbuster. It’s a minor but significant difference. A piledriver has the potential to compress you more on the top of your head where the brainbuster, even if it goes awry, is a bit more on the back of the neck. It’s a pretty big difference. I think that’s why there is more apprehension in regards to piledirvers. I still think there’s a chance we see the package piledriver in the right circumstance, but that’s the thing, it’s the circumstance. One of the other apprehensions I had about doing the brainbuster was, how do you come back from that if that becomes your finish? How do you go back to the kick or the Blue Thunder? That becomes the new standard. That was part of the reason I was apprehensive, but this year felt like the right time, match, circumstance, and opponent."
Asked about the reaction when he pitched at the move, Zayn responded, "I don’t remember there being much back and forth. I remember it being a pretty painless process."
Sami Zayn is in for another competitive match against Chad Gable at WWE Clash at the Castle as he looks to retain his WWE Intercontinental Championship. Fans can check out the full card for the upcoming PLE at this link.
Fans can check out the full interview with Sami Zayn embedded in the video at the top of this page.
