Veteran WWE wrestler Sami Zayn stepped back from the ring in the Spring. Although he made no public announcement as to why, rumors suggest that he had concerns about safety during the coronavirus pandemic, choosing to join a number of other athletes and performers who have taken a pause for the safety of themselves and others.
However, he has not taken the time off to sit back and relax. Instead, he has dedicated the time to working on the Sami For Syria initiative, which provides humanitarian and medical aid to internally displaced Syrians. Zayn’s charity has raised enough to launch two mobile medical clinics, each seeing hundreds of patients a day.
Sami Zayn, WWE star with and without Intercontinental Champion title
Sami Zayn, born Rami Sebei to Syrian immigrants in Canada, began his WWE career after a stint as a Mexican luchador-style fighter named “El Genérico” – “the generic one.” He signed with WWE in 2013 and established himself as a somewhat gentle giant of a character, described by WWE itself as, “an honorable competitor who approached situations with a lighthearted, fun-loving attitude.”
Wrestling is dominated by dramatized feuds and soap opera-like plot twists, which Zayn himself was a part of. In 2017 at the Hell in Cell event he “changed his tune,” writes the WWE, and established himself as a more antagonistic, although no less lovable character.
Some of Zayn’s funny moments on WWE:
However, Zayn and the WWE have may have a conflict of their own at the moment. First, they assured wrestlers that they would not be penalized for staying home during the pandemic. Nevertheless, they then stripped Zayn of his well-earned WWE Intercontinental Championship title.
In response to the loss of the title, Zayn wrote on Twitter, “I disagree with this decision and no matter what anyone says, l am still undefeated and therefore still the Intercontinental Champion.”
Active in and out of the ring
Outside of wrestling, Zayn keeps a rather private persona. However, he uses his massive platform – over a million followers on Twitter alone – to advocate for causes he believes in. In this respect, he is very outspoken.
His views can be summed up in the tweet: “a government should help its people in hard times.” Zayn actively criticizes those who protest against social distancing, the #AllLivesMatter crowd, and the current state of American politics. “Bail out the public,” writes Zayn, and then responds to Eric Trump, “big corporations don’t need to eat, the people who work there do. Give money directly to the people.”
Zayn also advocates for Medicare for all, a Green New Deal, and is a fervent Bernie Sanders supporter. “Amazing how folks who never wonder how ‘we’ pay for ANYTHING (ex: barbaric wars, fossil fuel subsidies, paved roads etc) suddenly become concerned & well-informed economists when it comes to humane ideas like ‘everyone should have healthcare’,” writes Zayn. “# MedicareForAll now more than ever.” But tweets won’t cut it for Zayn – he wants to help people directly.
Sami For Syria: Sami Zayn teams up with Syrian medics
Back in 2017, Zayn teamed up with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation. This partnership helps to provide medical care for internally displaced Syrians. He has kept at the fundraising since then, in an especially important time given the volatility of the healthcare many Syrians are getting in the midst of Covid-19.
THANK YOU ALL!https://t.co/gvJde51MvN pic.twitter.com/ELHT3z3QRz
— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) July 12, 2020
In addition to mobile clinics, Zayn funds and organizes various kinds of aid. This includes providing clean water, food, and baby formula. His motivation for taking part in these efforts was something of a breakthrough moment for him. “Everybody’s yelling and nobody’s actually doing anything,” he explains. “I felt like I had all these opinions and I had all these good intentions, but then I really had to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘You talk a big game, but what are you actually doing?’”
Zayn’s second mobile clinic is seeing an average of 126 patients per day as of July 11th, according to Zayn himself. Other than physical illnesses, Zayn also emphasizes the importance of treating mental illnesses. As a result, the medical team includes a psychologist.
Fans hope to see Zayn return to the ring soon. But if he does not, he will have no trouble keeping busy.
Donate to Sami 4 Syria here.
