8 WWE Booking Steps For Sami Zayn's Heel Run
3. Enough's Enough
Sami is at odds with himself, but much like his heel turn itself, his tension with Owens shouldn't receive an immediate payoff. This is something that WWE must let unfold naturally over several weeks, with KO relentlessly bullying Zayn into submission throughout, and Sami (initially) unable to find the guts to defy his best friend one more time.
Owens should treat Zayn like dirt. Sami's refusal to punish Dillinger was the first real sign of KO's influence slipping, and given his sociopathic ways, he should respond aggressively. This period will see Kevin mocking, deriding, and slapping Zayn around, with Daniel Bryan once again trying to get in Sami's ear, just like he did at the beginning of the feud.
The natural conclusion is Zayn finally tearing himself away from Kevin's control, having spent the past month or so building crowd sympathy. Their never-ending feud will be reignited heading into WrestleMania, with Sami finally realising that he'd taken a trip down a regretful road, and while adopting KO's ways had brought in-ring success, he wasn't himself anymore.
This all takes place on the road to WrestleMania 34, with the duo finally meeting in New Orleans...