WWE.com is featuring an interview with Sami Zayn where he reveals he has suffered two torn rotator cuffs in his left and right shoulder.
Zayn noted that he initially went to Birmingham, Alabama to have his right shoulder (what he described as his “good shoulder”) worked on, only to note that his left shoulder started acting up again after undergoing surgery back in 2015.
“…my left shoulder, a.k.a my bad shoulder, started to act up again as well. That shoulder hasn’t quite been the same since surgery anyway, so I had just kind of gotten used to the fact that that shoulder was the bad one. But it started to get progressively worse, so basically, long story short, it turns out I have two torn rotator cuffs. The left one and the right one are both torn. I just underwent surgery on the right one, and then in about six or seven weeks, I’ll be undergoing surgery on the left one, and hopefully I can come back healthy and happy.”
If you recall, Zayn ended up hurting his shoulder during his official debut segment as part of the main roster in May of 2015. WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart introduced Zayn as the challenger to Cena in his hometown of Montreal.
During his entrance, Zayn threw his arms up on the steel steps and could be seen noticeably favoring his shoulder immediately. You can view the moment below.
Zayn now faces a long road ahead. The average recovery time for a torn rotator cuff is around four to six months. With Zayn repairing one rotator cuff and facing another surgery in six or seven weeks, he was hopeful for a return for WrestleMania season next year.
“Because of the timeline, I’d love to be in the mix for WrestleMania season; that’s the most exciting time of the year for all of us. I think timeline wise, I should be ready in time for WrestleMania, so fingers crossed. There’s never a good time to get hurt or get surgeries, but I do feel like I was starting to hit my stride and find my voice and find myself as a performer. Which is funny, because 16 years in, it’s like I’m rediscovering the art of it in a sense, because I’m doing something I’ve never really done before. So, how I come back, when I come back, that all remains to be seen. But I have a pretty good track record, I’d say overall, and I plan on carrying that forward when I come back. I want to come back just as good, if not better, than I’ve ever been.”