10 Storylines WWE Has Already Messed Up In 2018
2. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Get Fired
The top end of the SmackDown card for much of the second half of 2017 was dominated by the issues between Kevin Owens and the brand's commissioner, Shane McMahon. Sami Zayn injected himself into the rivalry when he interfered to save his friend from a diving elbow drop at Hell in a Cell. The subsequent six months was a tortuous, muddled route to a WrestleMania match that was ultimately notable only for featuring Daniel Bryan's in-ring return after a supposedly career-ending injury.
By losing their WrestleMania match to Bryan and McMahon, Owens and Zayn were sacked from SmackDown Live. They appeared on Raw the next day and failed to win their jobs, but turned up as part of the Superstar Shake-up. The duo were reinstated by Stephanie McMahon, despite the fact that Owens headbutted her father and left him a bloodied pulp just a few months ago.
It was an illogical end to a rivalry that, while running for almost a year, has felt like every week's developments have been made up on the fly. WWE has botched every aspect of this messy story, short-changing two of the best stars on the roster in the process. Hopefully all involved can now move forward into something better.