Sami Zayn‘s contributions to The Bloodline have gradually garnered the respect and attention of many professional wrestling fans. In addition, Zayn’s clutch performance at Survivor Series: WarGames granted his team the win, and perfectly encapsulated the much-needed payoff after months’ worth of pleading his way into the faction.

After Zayn’s loss to Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38 in April, he needed to get himself back on the right track personally, and with the SmackDown locker room. So, he turned to “The Head of the Table” Roman Reigns. In the months that followed, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion emerged as a serious star and integral member of The Bloodline stable — later earning the title of “Honorary Uce.”

Now, Zayn, Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy and Jey Uso remain atop WWE programming, holding possession of the company’s stop prizes, the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and Undisputed Tag Team Championships.

Before Sami Zayn and Roman Reign’s on-screen relationship even budded, the seeds for the storyline were planted six months before. In a recent appearance on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg, Zayn provided some insight into when the idea first sprung up.

“Well, I won’t pull the curtain back too much, but the idea was kicked just about a year ago actually….The first time I think there was any interaction between myself and the Bloodline was just after WrestleMania [38]. But in actuality, the idea was first discussed going into Survivor Series of last year,” he revealed.

“I was doing this whole thing where I was on SmackDown, I was the longest-tenured member of SmackDown as the locker room leader,” Zayn continued. "I thought there’d be something interesting there with the locker room leader and ‘The Head of the Table’. The premise sort of being, the ‘Head of the Table’ isn’t in that locker room anymore.”

“I wasn’t originally envisioning being a full-blown member of the Bloodline or anything like that, just something to where Roman and I can occasionally get on screen together in sort of a light-hearted way and I’m giving him these reports of what’s going on and here’s what he needs to be careful for. Every once in a while, I get things kicked my way too. That was sort of the idea. That was the kernel, or the little seed.”

Zayn then revealed that Roman Reigns was also aboard the early discussions, noting Reign’s prior public statement to work with him someday. “It was talked about with Roman as well,” Zayn confirmed.

“We were sitting at catering one day, and I heard an interview that he did with Ariel Helwani where he was very kind towards me and just saying nice things about me as an on-screen character, and thinks he’d like to do something down the road with me one day. We got to talking and I don’t remember exactly how it went, but it was a mutual thing.”