At some point after the WrestlingNews.co story went live, everything between “I haven’t been there in a few years” and “so it’s been a little while” was removed. (The edited comments start around the five-minute mark.) As of this writing, neither WWE nor Spotify has responded to requests for comment on the edit. 

As for the substance of Zayn’s removed comments, it’s not clear what “assumptions” he was referring to, or what would have led to those comments being deleted. After the first show of the Saudi deal in 2018, WWE, when asked about Zayn’s absence, issued a statement saying “WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world.” Though admittedly vague, this was widely read as WWE conceding to the Saudi government’s demand that Zayn not wrestle on the show. Later, in 2020, Zayn said in an interview that he was never invited on the shows and “wasn’t really keen on going anyway.”

Speculation around Zayn’s absence from the Saudi shows generally centered on his “Sami for Syria” fundraising campaign for mobile medical units in Syria to aid civilians injured during battles as part of the civil war in that country, as Saudi Arabia has reportedly provided weapons support to Syrian rebels. Notably, Night of Champions 2023 was WWE’s first event in Saudi Arabia since Syria was readmitted to the Arab League amidst improved relations with the Saudis.