WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon, Triple H Don't View Sami Zayn 'as the Face of the Company'

Neither WWE chairman Vince McMahon nor head of creative Triple H reportedly view Sami Zayn as a transcendent star who can put the company on his back.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Manik Aftab of Ringside News) reported that he has been told "absolutely" that McMahon and Triple H don't feel Zayn is face-of-the-company material.

Meltzer was merely echoing sentiments first expressed by Zayn himself during an interview with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport on Friday:

During the interview (h/t WrestlingHeadlines.com), Zayn expressed his belief that he can be world champion and carry the title effectively but doubted whether WWE would want to position him as "the guy" in the same vein as Roman Reigns, John Cena, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock or Hulk Hogan:

"I could be a guy who could carry that title six months, go on Jimmy Fallon, give a couple of jokes, have him do his fake laugh that he does, all that good stuff. Sure I could do that. I could probably do it in my sleep, to be honest, but I understand the company's projection of what they see as the face of the company, not being the champion.

"The champion and the face are almost two different things. I feel like I could be the champion, no problem. As far as being the guy that they like, 'Number one, he's our guy. He's the poster boy. He's the ultimate representation of what our company is,' I know physically, I don't fit that mold. So I don't know if that's me, like, being self-deprecating or what it is, but I'm a realist when it comes to that."

Over the past several months, Zayn has become one of the most popular Superstars in WWE thanks to his involvement with The Bloodline and his status as the "Honorary Uce."

Zayn's interactions with Reigns have been some of the best segments on WWE programming not only currently but in many years, which has led to some speculation that he could be the one to end Reigns' run as undisputed WWE universal champion, which is approaching 900 days.

Although he has not been announced as a participant in the men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday, Zayn is undoubtedly in the mix of potential winners, with the returning Cody Rhodes perhaps being the only Superstar viewed as a more substantial favorite.

Zayn made it clear in the interview with Helwani that he doesn't know what the plans are for Royal Rumble, nor does he know if he is being considered to win the Rumble match, but he is along for the ride and enjoying the story he is involved with.

Although McMahon returned to his post as chairman of the board earlier this month, every indication is that he has no involvement in the creative side of WWE and is back to orchestrate a potential sale.

Triple H has been the lead booker since July, and he unquestionably sees something in Zayn, as he made him NXT champion several years ago.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Triple H views Zayn as being on the same level as Reigns, but with Triple H calling the shots, it likely increases the chances of Zayn entering the main event scene and becoming world champion at some point.

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