Monday night, Sami Zayn shocked the world when he entered the Bell Centre in his hometown of Montreal to answer United States Champion John Cena’s open challenge. With a stamp of approval from WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart and the arena heartily singing “Ole, Ole, Ole” in between chanting his name, Zayn was ready for battle.

Zayn’s incredible wrestling ability, daredevil moves and never-say-die attitude in the face of unbelievable odds made a huge impression on the WWE Universe and Cena. The former NXT Champion unleashed nearly every maneuver in his deep arsenal — a breathtaking dive over the ropes to the floor, a dive through the ring ropes into a tornado DDT and the high-impact Blue Thunder Bomb. The unflappable Zayn also endured Cena’s patented Attitude Adjustment, a move that’s put away true titans of the ring and won The Champ countless World Titles.

Following the career-making match, it was reported that Zayn would be undergoing an MRI to determine the nature of a shoulder injury. To say the least, it’s been a whirlwind week for the NXT Superstar. WWE.com caught up with Sami Zayn to see where his head is at.

WWE.COM: Let’s start at the beginning. When John Cena is in the ring addressing the WWE Universe and the crowd is chanting, “Ole” and “Sami Zayn,” what’s going through your mind?

SAMI ZAYN: It’s really hard to pinpoint one emotion. There was a pretty wide spectrum of emotions the entire night, from curious to nervous to excited to confident, back to nervous, back to excited, defiance and pride with how long it took to get there … how hard the road was. It was a mix of emotions. I can’t pick out one thing within the span of an hour, let alone the five minutes while Cena was talking.

WWE.COM: What did it mean for you to have Bret “Hit Man” Hart introduce you, almost putting his stamp of approval on you?

ZAYN: That meant a lot. The first wrestling show I ever saw was Survivor Series 1997, in that very building, Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels in the Bell Centre. I paid 13 dollars. (There was a coupon in the newspaper.) Bret Hart was my hero. Now, the same guy I paid to see — my hero — was the one introducing me and shaking my hand when I got in the ring. It was surreal, very surreal. I guess I didn’t fully understand what it meant until it happened.

WWE.COM: After all of that, you finally walk out into the arena and the crowd is going nuts for you. How does it feel?

ZAYN: I was really emotional. When they were doing the “Ole” chants before I even came out, I had a giant lump in my throat. I thought I was going to burst into tears the second I walked through the curtain. I was just taking it all in. I was almost angry in a way, a proud kind of angry. It’s very hard to describe. It’s hard to put into words.

It really exceeded my expectations. OK, fine, I’m from Montreal, but you never know how much the fans know. They’re fans of Monday Night Raw. NXT has grown by leaps and bounds, especially over the last year because of WWE Network, but you don’t know who’s going to know you and who’s not. I was astonished by the reaction when I came out.

Bret Hart introduces Canada's own Sami Zayn as the NXT standout answer's John Cena's "U.S. Open Challenge."

WWE.COM: Even though you couldn’t beat the U.S. Champion, after the match, Cena raised your arm and gave you the ring, while the crowd was still on their feet for you. In the face of everything you went through, what did that mean to you?

ZAYN: It’s bittersweet in a way. It was an amazing moment. I was just trying to have a great match with one of the best wrestlers ever. What an endorsement, from two of the biggest stars of all time. I can carry that going forward. After you have a match like that, you have momentum.

I’m happy that I was able to have the match that I did with one of the best ever in my hometown. You really can’t ask for much better. Ultimately, I’ll look back at it as a very positive experience. I wouldn’t be Sami Zayn if it went too well, there’s always gotta be a bump in the road. Overcoming it is the story.

WWE.COM: What’s your mindset in the face of injury?

ZAYN: I’m an easy-going, take-things-as-they-come kind of guy, not just in the ring, but in life. Experiences like this make you realize that a lack of certainty can be very unnerving. Not knowing what the future has in store for you can be unsettling, especially when you’re riding that momentum. In the blink of an eye, things change. That’s the nature of the industry we work in. It can be frustrating, but you have to keep your chin up and not get too down on yourself and believe that in some way that it’s all for the best. A lot of fans have been really supportive and have commended me. In a weird way, it could be the worst thing that ever happened to me or the best thing that ever happened to me.

One way or another, it will all work out. You keep going forward and you get ahead. I’m not going to let this destroy me, so you take it as it comes. You deal with it, see what you can do, do your best and it will all be OK. I’ll keep driving forward.

WWE.COM: When the WWE Universe look back on Monday night, what should they think of Sami Zayn?

ZAYN: That it’s just a taste of what’s to come. Whether I follow up on it immediately or not, they won’t forget that match any time soon. It’s only the beginning.