Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn At WWE WrestleMania Would Pay Off A Storyline Decades In The Making (2025)

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are on two diverging paths in WWE's current storylines. Owens, carrying the Winged Eagle belt, is challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. Meanwhile, Zayn is entering the Royal Rumble match hoping for a shot to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.

As of the latest episode of Monday Night Raw, those diverging paths are starting to merge, as WWE reunites their biggest frenemy relationship. As KO implied that he'd help Zayn win the Rumble if Zayn helped him win his title match, they alluded to their shared history together during their Raw promo.

For those unfamiliar with their work together, the friendship and rivalry between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens date back even further than just WWE quarters, as their friendship stretches as far back as their early wrestling days, when they were both dreaming of becoming WWE stars.

How Far Does Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn Go Back?

Tracing their Ring of Honor History

Before joining WWE, Kevin Owens (f.k.a. Kevin Steen) and Sami Zayn's friendship began when they formed a tag team on the independent circuit, dating back to debuting in Ring of Honor in 2007. Granted, back then, Zayn was poised with the character of a masked, Spanish-speaking luchador named El Generico. They're considered separate characters, and the wrestling community affectionately treats them as different people, with Generico currently being either retired and running an orphanage, or dead, depending on who you ask. Zayn being Generico is both wrestling's biggest inside joke and its worst-kept secret.

At ROH Final Battle 2009, a losing streak for the former Tag Team Champions would prompt a tease for retirement for Steen, who'd cut a live post-match promo citing weight gain and past injuries costing them matches. A hug from his best friend and cheers from the crowd would try to convince Steen to reconsider. In a shocking betrayal, Steen responded by kicking Generico between his legs and turning heel in the process. Steen would later explain that he took Generico's hug as an attempt to steal the spotlight from him, so he responded by taking it back.

This tag team breakup effectively changed the trajectory of both Steen and Generico's careers forever. From this point forward, these two would constantly circle each other and, one may say, fight forever. In not only Ring of Honor but in countless independent promotions thereafter, Generico and Kevin Steen would wrestle each other often in intense matches like Fight Without Honor, Last Man Standing, Dog Collar, and Ladder War. In the latter case, their Ladder Match marked Generico's final match in ROH before he signed with WWE and became Sami Zayn.

Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn Join WWE

NXT and Early Main Roster Beginnings

Sami Zayn debuted for WWE on the May 22, 2013, episode of NXT, and it wouldn't take long before Kevin Owens followed behind. The former Steen would sign with WWE the following year and debut in December 2014's NXT TakeOver: R Evolution event. That same night, Sami Zayn won the NXT Championship, and KO would not waste time in picking up where they left off on the indies by powerbombing Zayn on the apron to close out the show. Owens then defeated Zayn for the title in 2015 and, eventually, sent Zayn to the main roster on a stretcher.

Owens would make his way to the main roster himself later that year, but the two wouldn't share a ring again until the 2016 Royal Rumble match. Following their collision, they'd compete against each other in matches for old times' sake, but miraculously, Zayn would turn heel at Hell in a Cell 2017, leading to a tag team reunion for the duo. For the next few years, the duo would flip back and forth between friends and enemies, trading face/heel dynamics, and trading wins. Arguably, their most notable WWE bout to date came when they wrestled each other at WrestleMania 37 in 2021.

How Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn Rekindled Their Friendship

From Foes to Tag Team Champions

After 2021, Zayn and Owens would be kept separated for the most part, largely as a result of the brand split that sent Kevin Owens to Raw and Sami Zayn to SmackDown. Their paths wouldn't start to intersect again until halfway into 2022 when Sami Zayn started to befriend The Bloodline. As someone who spent much of 2021 feuding with Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, KO warned Zayn that his role as their Honorary Uce wouldn't end well. Zayn not only didn't heed the warning but double-downed his alliance by helping the Bloodline win WarGames against Team KO.

Things took a turning point at Royal Rumble 2022, where Zayn started to have second thoughts about betraying his best friend. Zayn defended Owens as KO was being attacked by the Bloodline that night. Afterward, KO was hesitant to forgive Zayn for choosing the Bloodline over their decades-long friendship before ultimately hugging it out on March 17th's SmackDown to face down their common enemies. Once they were on the same page, they were able to vanquish The Bloodlines' Usos twins for the WWE Tag Team Titles in the main event of WrestleMania 39. They held those titles for 153 days before losing them to Judgment Day at Payback in September.

Is WWE Setting Up Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn for WrestleMania?

The Domino Effect of KO's Heel Turn

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn At WWE WrestleMania Would Pay Off A Storyline Decades In The Making (2)

After losing the titles, Owens and Zayn would be kept apart again by the brand split, this time with KO being on SmackDown while Zayn went to Raw. Meanwhile, the long-running Bloodline storyline continued, this time with the OGs turning babyface against a new heel variant faction, as well as the newly face stable being assisted by Cody Rhodes. Owens took mighty offense to the fact that the WWE Champion was willing to help a unit that had spent years doing wrong by both of them. On a self-righteous mission, Owens turned heel by attacking Rhodes.

Now, as he and Rhodes head toward their Royal Rumble Ladder Match, Owens finally confronts another Bloodline ally in Sami Zayn. However, Owens admitted out loud that he doesn't carry the same venomous rage toward Zayn because he understands why Zayn would be so willing to forgive Roman Reigns when he and the Bloodline wronged him so egregiously in the past. After all, Zayn forgave Owens just the same and vice versa.

By preying on Sami's feelings, Owens tries to use Zayn's insecurities about never being a World Champion to manipulate him into helping him at the Rumble in exchange for that same help in return. If things go as Owens plans, he beats Cody to become (officially) the WWE Champion and Sami wins the Rumble, culminating in them main eventing WrestleMania 41 for the biggest prize in the industry.

Related

Did WWE Just Tease Another Big Bloodline Betrayal? And What Does Karrion Kross Have to Do With It?

There is cause for concern among The Bloodline, and it's all to do with Karrion Kross.

Some fans may argue that Owens vs. Zayn has already happened too many times, including a bout at 'Mania. The difference, however, is that these matches were never the marquee, as neither man was at the top of the card. This time, Sami and Kevin are both a key part of WWE's most important storylines, and wrestling in the main event of WrestleMania for the WWE title would be truly the culmination of their amazing careers.

Zayn and Owens built a genuine friendship outside of wrestling that's lasted nearly 20 years. They are still able to build on that real-life history, branching it off into wrestling storylines that, themselves, branch into the Grandest Stage of Them All. WWE rarely attempts to even excel in such decade-long storytelling, but the case of Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens continues to captivate today.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn At WWE WrestleMania Would Pay Off A Storyline Decades In The Making (4)
WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a global entertainment company primarily known for professional wrestling. Founded in 1953, it produces live events, television programs, and streaming content. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, WWE operates multiple brands, including Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn At WWE WrestleMania Would Pay Off A Storyline Decades In The Making (2025)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Tyson Zemlak

Last Updated:

Views: 6282

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (63 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tyson Zemlak

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Apt. 662 96191 Quigley Dam, Kubview, MA 42013

Phone: +441678032891

Job: Community-Services Orchestrator

Hobby: Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Metalworking, Fashion, Vehicle restoration, Shopping, Photography

Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.