Sami Zayn has revealed why the Johnny Knoxville match may be his favorite of all time.

The Honorary Uce recently spoke to The Five Star podcast to promote the upcoming Raw tapings from Charlotte NC on February 17. He discussed things such as reuniting with The Bloodline, what the Netflix move means for WWE and more.

When the topic of his favorite match came up, Sami Zayn noted how he has been lucky to have many great matches throughout his career. The one match that stands out to him, however, is the WrestleMania 38 encounter with the Jackass star because they were able to defy all expectations:

“I’ve had a lot of really great matches that I’m really proud of. The Knoxville one jumps out at me because for so many reasons, I think. For starters expectations were low. Anytime you can take people on that kind of ride when they’re not really expecting to be taken on that kind of ride. To me that’s all wrestling really is.

It’s like a ride. An emotional ride, a ride of different reactions. It’s going left and it turns right and it’s up and it’s down and the next thing you know you’re just caught up in it. It’s a great feeling to be caught up in it.”

• Sami Zayn: Hall of Famers Never Told a Story As Good As The Bloodline

Very Proud of That Match: Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn noted how they were able to put together a really entertaining match that got them a standing ovation from a lot of fans. He is particularly proud of this performance because he was the only pro wrestler involved in the bout:

“I think that’s the remarkable thing that we were able to do in that match is get people completely caught up in what we were doing. Particularly proud of it because Johnny Knoxville is not a wrestler.

He went out there and to his credit, as much as I don’t like to give him credit for anything, he went out there at age 50 and put 20 minutes in at WrestleMania and had people on their feet. There’s [not a lot of] people on Earth that can do that. He was part of that. So very proud of that match.”

Apart from this, Sami Zayn also mentioned his matches against AEW’s Pac and Claudio Castagnoli as some of his favorite outings.

• Sami Zayn Believes Bron Breakker Has A Bright Future: He’s Going Be A Complete Player

Johnny Knoxville keeps Kayfabe alive between he and Sami Zayn and Matt Camp can attest to that.

Speaking on his new series “The Wrestling Matt Show” the former WWE personality was previewing WWE King & Queen of The Ring and some fans were talking about Johnny Knoxville being incoporated into the WWE product during the first part of 2022. Knoxville appeared at the Royal Rumble and ultimately defeated Sami Zayn in a dark horse match at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, TX.

Camp notes how invested and passionate Knoxville was during his brief run in WWE.

“Johnny Knoxville was awesome to work with, with everything he did with WWE. He was all in, he cared, he offered ideas up, the stuff with the phone number in the sky and the red carpet), Johnny Knoxville got it.”

• Johnny Knoxville Goes Undercover At Sami Zayn’s ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ Comedy Show

Knoxville even committed to his beef with Zayn even after Sami turned babyface as Camp had Knoxville on The Bump nearly a year after the fact.

“Sami’s a babyface at this point and he was still railing on Sami and he played into it. They could have a blast with that. I think there is almost a ‘fight forever’ almost tongue-in-cheek thing between Johnny Knoxville and Sami Zayn, which I love.”

“I think there is almost a ‘fight forever’ almost tongue-in-cheek thing between Johnny Knoxville and Sami Zayn, which I love.”

Even as of recent, Knoxville has kept his feud cooking with Sami as Johnny interrupted Zayn’s stand-up schtick while at the Netflix Is A Joke event. He roasted Sami while there, even having Wee Man punch him below the belt. Then on social media, Knoxville continued to berate Zayn, claiming that Razor Ramon was actually his favorite Intercontinental Champion.

Please credit “The Wrestling Matt” and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Johnny Knoxville still thinks Sami Zayn is a jackass. 

Knoxville got the better of the current Intercontinental Champion on the major stage of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, TX, but he didn’t receive as great of an opportunity to air out all his grievances during their program together.

WWE shared a photo of Zayn with his Intercontinental Title with Becky Lynch, who was holding her Women’s World Title gold. This prompted Knoxville to unleash several insults Zayn’s way in the comment section, making clear that he’s way bigger fan of Scott Hall with the Intercontinental Title than Zayn.

“Sami’s the Intercontinental Champion. My favorite Intercontinental Champion will always be Razor Ramon. Sami I doubt you know who he is since you’ve never heard of a razor you hairy f@‘k!”

• Johnny Knoxville Goes Undercover At Sami Zayn’s ‘Netflix Is A Joke’ Comedy Show

Knoxville was far from done.

“I hate you as much as you hate going to the gym.

“What a shame, the poor audience had to watch you bomb all night and then get humiliated by me and WeeMan AGAIN! Becky Lynch was terrific though. Why she associates herself with the likes of you I will never know.

“I’d give you the shirt off my back. Just so I don’t have to see all the hair on YOUR BACK!

“Remember when wrestlers used to shave and get tans? Sami certainly doesn’t.

“I didn’t get enough time to get in all my insults so I will get them in here.

“Hey everybody, Sami’s a vegan, just in case you didn’t think he was already annoying enough.

LMFAOOOOOOOO JOHNNY KNOXVILLE IS COOKING SAMI ZAYN ON INSTAGRAM ?

It's been 2 YEARS, and dude's still hating ? pic.twitter.com/ubZWDyrIid

— EliteRockerz ? (@EliteClubS0B) May 14, 2024

Knoxville couldn’t care less that Zayn is currently a top babyface and made clear to fans that Kayfabe is very much alive in Knoxville’s camp.

Sami Zayn got some serious laughs at his performance at the Netflix Is A Joke festival, despite the presence of his WrestleMania 38 adversary Johnny Knoxville. 

The Jackass and Bad Grandpa star went in disguise to the event that has taken over Los Angeles from May 2 to May 12. Knoxville donned a blonde wig and fake mustache to watch Zayn’s set. 

Knoxville wasn’t the only notable name to appear during Zayn’s stand-up. WWE Women’s World Champion Becky Lynch was also at the show as well as Cathy Kelly, according to attendee Glenn Rubenstein. Ron Funches, Tony Hinchcliffe, and Wee Man also made cameo appearances. 

Knoxville Vs. Zayn

Johnny Knoxville and Sami Zayn became adversaries in 2022 and tensions grew after the actor cost Zayn the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The two did battle at WWE WrestleMania 38 in an ‘Anything Goes’ match that was won by Knoxville. 

Even with Zayn now a babyface, the ‘animosity’ between the two continues. Knoxville was seen jeering and booing at WWE WrestleMania 39 when Zayn and Kevin Owens won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. 

Fans shouldn’t count out one more match between the actor and Zayn, who regained the Intercontinental Championship at WWE WrestleMania 40. On Twitter, Rubenstein suggested that the pair “may have set up a rematch tonight.”

As for Zayn, his next major match will come at WWE King And Queen Of The Ring later this month. The Canadian will defend against both Chad Gable and ‘Big’ Bronson Reed in Saudi Arabia. 

WWE has pulled in some big crossover stars over the years. Johnny Knoxville’s proclivity to participate in daring stunts made him perfect for a WrestleMania role, and he will never forget it.

Johnny Knoxville recalled a time when Brock Lesnar tried to put his fellow Jackass co-star Wee Man through a table at a crowded restaurant. He also shared a fantastic memory from WrestleMania 38, where he was featured in a marquee match.

Brock Lesnar & Wee Man

While speaking to SI, Johnny Knoxville took a walk down memory lane to the time when Brock Lesnar put Wee Man through a table in the middle of a Four Seasons restaurant.

Wee Man apparently had some liquid courage in him, and that only caused Lesnar to take action. What happened next made Knoxville so happy, as Wee Man took a trip into a table.

I can’t remember being so happy [laughs]. We were at a Four Seasons restaurant. Wee Man had a couple drinks. And when Wee Man has a couple drinks, he gets loud and rambunctious. And he started talking smack to Brock–and Brock just scooped Wee Man up, pointed to a table, and said, “That’s where you’re going.” Right in the middle of a Four Seasons restaurant, it was amazing.

Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38

Night two of WrestleMania 38 showcased an Anything Goes match pitting Sami Zayn against Johnny Knoxville. The Jackass star still remembers that 2022 match, and what happened afterward, years later.

Knoxville beat Zayn in just under 15 minutes in AT&T Stadium. Two years later, he still doesn’t have anything nice to say about the Underdog from the Underground.

He then explained that their match received a standing ovation in Gorilla Position afterward.

Aside from having to actually look at Sami’s big, dumb face, I was thrilled with the match. Afterward, it felt like we did something special. To walk in backstage into [the] Gorilla [position, right behind the curtain], I think they call it, they stood up and clapped–and those guys and girls have seen it all. For them to clap, I took it as a big compliment. And I hate to say anything good about Sami Zayn, but he did an amazing job in that match–an amazing job losing, I should point out.

Are matches involving celebrities a good or bad thing for the world of professional wrestling?

While other promotions do use the occasional outside name, nobody does it quite like WWE, as the promotion often uses celebrities around WrestleMania season.

In recent years, Bad Bunny, Johnny Knoxville, and Logan Paul (who has since signed with WWE) have all competed at the Showcase of the Immortals.

Pros and Cons

To many, celebrities stepping into the ring is an inherently bad thing, as it takes away from a full-time member of the roster.

Speaking on Superstar Crossover, GUNTHER noted that he understands the frustration from stars who don’t get to wrestle on the card.

“Somebody that wrestles all year round, and then comes WrestleMania, and it’s somebody who is always working and it’s their drive of ‘I want to be in the big spectacle,’ and some spots won’t be available because we have celebrities come in.”

GUNTHER.

The reigning Intercontinental Champion added though that these celebrities do make the effort, and that they bring a lot of good attention to WWE.

“It helps our business in general to generate way more attention. The only thing I think is important is, whoever comes in from the outside and takes part in what we do, they have to have a passion for it and has to take it as serious to be part of our product.“

GUNTHER.

The Imperium leader name-dropped Logan Paul and Bad Bunny as two key examples of the benefit of celebrities stepping in the ring.

GUNTHER went so far as to claim that Paul (who has competed four times for WWE,) is taking risks he would be hesitant to take himself.

GUNTHER at WrestleMania

The reigning Intercontinental Champion does not have to worry about losing his spot at WrestleMania 39, which will be his first WrestleMania.

On tonight’s SmackDown, a five-way match will determine the Austrian’s challenger for WrestleMania.

The match will consist of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Karrion Kross, LA Knight, and Xavier Woods, who is replacing the injured Kofi Kingston.

h/t – Fightful

Johnny Knoxville made his singles in-ring debut in an Anything Goes Match against Sami Zayn. 

As seen at WWE WrestleMania 38 event in Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium, the match opened with Zayn hitting a big boot. Johnny hit him in the head with the trash can lids then a stop sign. Zayn with a suplex through a table. Party Boy showed up and started dancing so he got clotheslined, which allowed Johnny to get a quick roll up. Weeman attacked Zayn and suplexed him. Johnny hit a DDT off the middle rope. Zayn was on the top rope and Johnny set off pyro to knock Zayn off. Johnny rolled a bowling ball to the nuts of Zayn. 

Zayn was pushed off the top rope through a table with mouse traps. There was a giant mousetrap and Johnny set off the mousetrap for the win. 

Knoxville and Zayn have been feuding since the start of the year as Zayn eliminated Knoxville at the Royal Rumble in January. Knoxville later challenged Zayn to a match for the Intercontinental title, but Zayn declined it. 

After Knoxville distracted Zayn on SmackDown, causing him to lose the Intercontinental title to Ricochet, Zayn challenged Knoxville to a match at WrestleMania. Zayn later promised he would show Knoxville what it means to step into his world and he challenged Knoxville to this stipulation for the bout. 

What are your thoughts on Knoxville’s performance? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Sami Zayn has shared what he expects to go down once he shares the ring with Jackass co-creator and star Johnny Knoxville.

In storyline, Knoxville has been a thorn in Zayn’s side for months. Knoxville even cost Zayn the WWE Intercontinental Championship. He lost the gold to Ricochet on the March 4 episode of SmackDown thanks to Knoxville’s interference.

Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville: What To Expect

Metro got a chance to speak with Zayn, who is scheduled to clash with Johnny Knoxville on night two (April 3) of WrestleMania 38. Zayn discussed his expectations for the match:

“On the one hand, yeah, I get to test that pain threshold of his, which he’s famous for. But on the other hand, if it’s straight up wrestling I don’t think anybody expects him to be able to hang with me.

“But the fact that it’s anything goes might open the door to some of the stuff he’s good at, which is the gags and the pranks and the weapons and whatever else it is….I think this whole thing has been a lot of fun, certainly for me.

“I hope it’s been fun for the audience as well, because we’ve gotten to build the match in some very unique and orthodox ways that you just don’t get to do with another WWE superstar. We’ve gotten to do some really outside the box, unconventional and fun things to build this match.”

Zayn admitted that he was never a fan of the Jackass series. The former NXT Champion said he simply doesn’t like to watch other people get hurt.

• Johnny Knoxville Trolls Sami Zayn With Epic Prank

Johnny Knoxville pranked Sami Zayn by putting his phone number on a plane which resulted in Zayn receiving over 20,000 text messages.

Knoxville and Zayn are scheduled to face off against each other in a match at WrestleMania 38. Knoxville had challenged Zayn to a match, but Sami only accepted when the Jackass star helped Ricochet take the Intercontinental Title from Zayn

The Results Of Knoxville’s Prank On Sami

In an attempt to annoy Johnny, Sami spammed his phone number with text messages. Knoxville did not take too kind to this and found a way to get him back.

On the 11th of March, TMZ Sports released a video that showed Knoxville had pranked Sami by putting his phone number on a plane banner. Zayn has since received hundreds of calls, thousands and thousands of texts, and it seems like this won’t be ending any time soon. Sami blames Knoxville for this prank and for him losing his Intercontinental Championship.

• WWE WrestleMania 38 Match Card, Date & Time, How To Watch

Johnny Knoxville is stepping up his psychological warfare against WrestleMania 38 opponent Sami Zayn.

Knoxville, who is celebrating his 51st birthday on Friday, reveals that Sami Zayn got a hold of his personal phone number and was “stalking him” with text messages.

The Jackass star isn’t one to be bullied, so he took matters into his own hands.

Knoxville reveals that he rented a plane to fly a banner over Los Angeles displaying Sami Zayn’s phone number.

“So today, for my birthday, I am flying his phone number over Los Angeles,” says Knoxville. “407-574-1532. See ya at WrestleMania, Shnookums.”

Here’s video of the stunt, courtesy of TMZ Sports:

The prank worked. Sami Zayn’s phone is blowing up with random people texting and calling his soon-to-be-changed mobile number.

Well played, Knoxville. Well played.

Sami Zayn and Johnny Knoxville will finally get their hands on one another at WrestleMania Sunday on April 3rd.

WWE Superstar Montez Ford recently discussed a conversation he had with Jackass star Johnny Knoxville ahead of the Royal Rumble event.

Speaking on the Hall of Fame podcast, Ford revealed how big a fan he is of the Jackass show and how much he enjoyed meeting the face of the programme.

“He was all game. The cool part about it, I was telling him, ‘Hey man, me and my sister used to stay up late nights to watch MTV, MTV 2, and watch Jackass and The Wild Boys, and everything’” Montez began.

“Like, all night, and we’d see all the crazy scenarios that they did. So for me to have that moment was just like full circle, all the childhood nostalgia all the way around. But he was all game, man” Montez revealed.

Montez Ford on Johnny Knoxville

“He was like, ‘Hey guys, if I am in there, I am in your guys’ world. Don’t let up on me, I want the real thing.’ He said, ‘I have spent my whole entire career hurting other people.’ He’s a great guy, all for it. It’s always cool too to have people from different worlds come in” the former RAW Tag Team Champion continued.

“People that you’ve grown up and watched and come across people that are fans of the business, to come across and just be so welcoming to our world and everything.

“It was cool. He said he was ready to come back too, so I guess we need to lay the smackdown a little bit harder next time” the Street Profits member concluded.

*credit to 411mania.com for the transcription.

Jackass star Johnny Knoxville is a longshot to win the Royal Rumble this weekend. However, stranger things have happened.

Knoxville will enter the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble in hopes of earning a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 38.

The Royal Rumble marks beginning of the Road to WrestleMania. The Rumble is often used as a platform to jumpstart feuds that that culminate at WWE’s biggest event of the year.

According to WrestleVotes, a source claims that Johnny Knoxville’s involvement with WWE will be done after the Royal Rumble.

“Source states Johnny Knoxville’s Royal Rumble involvement is slated to be Rumble only & done on Saturday.”

– WrestleVotes

More ‘Jackass’ Stars at the Royal Rumble

Jonny Knoxville’s participation at the WWE Royal Rumble is to promote his new movie, Jackass Forever (in theaters February 4th).

Knoxville is now teasing that he will have ‘backup’ when he shows up to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

During a Q&A with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Knoxville teased that other Jackass members will be in his corner at the Royal Rumble.

Earlier this week, WWE asked Johnny Knoxville to comment on the other participants he might encounter at the Royal Rumble. Knoxville called them all “pretenders” and had this to say about the following WWE Superstars:

• Sheamus: “He’s a chump”
• Omos: “What a mama’s boy”
• Austin Theory: “Who does his eyebrows? Very cute!”
• Big E: “Big Siss-E”
• The Viking Raiders: “They are not spending any time in the gym”
• Otis: “Oh man, it looks like something from Deliverance”

These words may come back to bite him this Saturday.

It didn’t take long for a new year to bring more celebrity involvement in the world of professional wrestling. Johnny Knoxville took to his Instagram page to declare he is getting ready to enter this year’s WWE Royal Rumble, which takes place at the end of this month in St. Louis, Missouri.

The star of Jackass and various movies, including The Dukes of Hazzard, published a video to proclaim his goal.

“Alright, it’s New Year’s Day and I’ve been thinking about all the things I want to do in 2022,” Knoxville says (h/t Wrestling Inc). “And of course, Jackass Forever comes out February 4th and I’m happy about that, but I want to do something else. Something big! That’s right, I want to make a run for the Rumble. I am talking about the WWE’s Royal Rumble. 30 men enter, one guy is left standing — that’s me.

“You know, I’ve seen the current list of WWE wrestlers, and frankly, I’m not impressed. They don’t have anyone big enough to throw me over the top rope! What, is ‘Little’ E or Roman ‘Ruins’ going to do it? Hah! And Vince McMahon, you’ve always been kind to us and I sincerely appreciate it, but I sincerely hope you are auditioning bigger, tougher talent for the 2022 Royal Rumble because I don’t want to hurt anyone! So, just like the shirt says, Johnny Knoxville — World Champ. Woohoo!”

• Big E Reveals His Pick To Win 2022 Royal Rumble

The caption of the Instagram video is similar but also calls out some of the Knoxville’s favorite wrestlers from over the years. He wrote:

“Happy New Year’s Day and love to everyone. I have a big announcement that I have been dying to get off of my chest. I spent a lot of times over the holiday thinking about how i wanted to start off my 2022, and I decided I want to do it kicking ass and taking names. And the best way to do that i feel is making a run for the Rumble, that’s right @WWE’s Royal Rumble.

“Training starts today, not that I will need a lot of it because I have seen the WWE’s current roster and it’s laughable to think anyone can throw me over the top rope,” Johnny wrote. “LAUGHABLE! I will be channeling my wrestling heroes like @therock, Abdullah the Butcher and the great Gorilla Monsoon. The way I’m looking at it I am giving myself a %100 chance of winning. What chance do you think I have? Sincerely, Johnny Knoxville, World Champ #roadtowrestlemania #royalrumble #wwe #jackassforever”

This year’s Royal Rumble wouldn’t be the first run-in with the wrestling business for Knoxville. He and some of his fellow Jackass stars were set for a match with Umaga at SummerSlam in 2007, but Knoxville eventually pulled out of that deal.

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