Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn has reflected on his defeat to Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel 2026, explaining why the respect he received from The Original Tribal Chief following their match meant almost as much as winning the championship encounter.

Reigns defeated Zayn to capture the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship at Saturday’s premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, one of the most significant moments came after the match, when Zayn approached Reigns and extended his hand in a show of sportsmanship.

Rather than simply accepting the handshake, Reigns pulled Zayn into an embrace, acknowledging his former Bloodline stablemate following their hard-fought encounter.

Speaking during WWE’s Crown Jewel post-show coverage, Zayn explained that earning Reigns’ respect had been one of his primary motivations heading into the match. Despite entering the event as Undisputed WWE Champion, Zayn felt he still had something to prove against a Superstar he considers the biggest name in professional wrestling over the past two decades. “I wasn’t going to walk in as the WWE Champion into Riyadh with the OTC, the biggest star of the last 20 years, I was not going to walk in without getting respect. I might have said some stuff. I might have did some stuff to Roman because I needed the OTC. I didn’t want a half measure. I wanted Roman at his best.”

Zayn continued by emphasizing that he wanted to face Reigns at his absolute best rather than settle for anything less. Although he ultimately failed to defeat The Original Tribal Chief, Zayn believes their match demonstrated that Reigns had to give everything he had to secure the victory. “Everyone saw it. He saw it. He felt it. He knows it. It took everything he had. Everything he had to put me away. But I got what I wanted. No, no, no. I didn’t get what I wanted. I wanted to win. I did. But I got what I needed.”

While Zayn admitted that losing the match was disappointing, he made it clear that Reigns’ gesture afterward carried considerable significance. For Zayn, receiving that acknowledgment from someone with Reigns’ accomplishments was a statement about his own standing in WWE. “I got the respect that I deserve from that man. If that man, the biggest star in this industry over the last 20 years, can show me that respect, I expect it across the board for the last real good guy going forward.”

The emotional post-match exchange added another chapter to the complicated history between Zayn and Reigns, whose relationship has evolved considerably since their time together in The Bloodline.

Although Reigns left Crown Jewel with the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship, Zayn made it clear that he considers the respect he earned an important personal victory.

With the Undisputed WWE Championship still in his possession, Zayn now expects the rest of WWE’s roster to show him the same respect that Reigns demonstrated in Riyadh.