10 Things WWE Stole From The Indies
8. Zayn & Owens: Trolls
There's no more enjoyable act on WWE SmackDown than Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens at the moment.
The former's Hell In A Cell heel turn was a complete success, repositioning him as a slimy, sarcastic heel after years as a go-nowhere babyface, and his partner has been as compelling as ever. They're dynamite together, and while Zayn and Owens have only been reunited for a few weeks, their rebirth as SmackDown's alpha trolls should guarantee months of quality programming.
Zayn has been particularly trolly since the duo were put back together. He has become WWE's clown prince, sarcastically skipping, smiling, and dancing his way to the ring while his impossibly chirpy ska theme plays out, then constantly teasing opponents throughout the ensuing match. It's great, but it's nothing new.
The angle is a direct retread of the 'Troll Boyz' arc that recently played out in EVOLVE - one of WWE's closest independent allies. Much like Zayn and Owens, EVOLVE's Ethan Page and ACH were united through mistreatment from authority figures, dedicating their existence to disrupting shows, ruining everyone's fun, and straight up piss-taking. It came to a premature end when Page left the promotion last month, but the similarities are too numerous to be coincidental.