Sami Zayn: CM Punk In Chicago Comes The Closest, But There’s No Hometown That Treats Their Guy The Way Montreal’s Treated Me

Zayn feels his connection with Montreal draws the best ‘hometown guy’ reactions.

In late January 2026, WWE is going to be running Friday Night SmackDown and Saturday Night’s Main Event from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

To promote the forthcoming events, the Toronto Sun interviewed Quebec’s own Sami Zayn. Zayn stated that CM Punk in Chicago comes to mind, but he feels no hometown treats their hometown guy better than Montreal treats him.

“I don’t think there’s any wrestler — and CM Punk in Chicago comes the closest that I can think of… (but there’s) no hometown that treats their hometown guy the way Montreal’s treated me, and it’s just because Montrealers, maybe it is that kind of deprived thing that I’m talking about. Even with the Habs, we’ve been a good team for so long but we never had a superstar and now all of a sudden, we potentially have like five. But, there’s this deprived sense of pride that we don’t really get to hang our hat on which is why I think I’m so disproportionately loved in Montreal but, like you said, if I go to Toronto, if I go to Calgary, if I go to Winnipeg… anywhere in Canada, I’m treated as a hometown guy and then I also have the advantage of I’m also French-speaking so if we go anywhere in France, or any French-speaking place in Belgium or Switzerland or whatever and I’m also an Arab and Muslim so if we go to Saudi Arabia, or if we go anywhere in the Middle East… All these places that treat me like their guy.”

Zayn is coming off a United States Championship reign that lasted 49 days. Zayn dropped the belt to the returning Ilja Dragunov.

If the quote in this article is used, please credit Toronto Sun with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.