The Complete A-Z Of Wrestling In 2017

12. O - Owens And Zayn

The Shield Paige
WWE.com

Their stories have always been intrinsically linked, but the latest dovetailing of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn's careers has been the most intriguing since 'KO' first flattened 'The Underdog From The Underground' whilst the pair celebrated Zayn's NXT Championship victory.

As smartly-booked as their feuds always were, the Zayn turn was one of wrestling's perfect paradoxes - an unthinkable possibility. In the weeks leading up to Owens' heated Hell In A Cell clash with a reckless Shane McMahon, Zayn had been beaten to near-injury by his former and future friend yet again, only to be disregarded physically and verbally by 'Shane-O-Mac' when he dared to cross his path. Owens had even made mention of Sami's catalogue of failures before decking him, planting a final seed that a reunion was his only escape from mediocrity.

He's since not only kicked that door down, but hilariously skanked all the way out of WWE's doghouse as a chirpy heel. The duo have been dynamite d*ckheads since, potentially driving a permanent wedge between the Commissioner and his General Manager Daniel Bryan in the process.

A future feud may never be too far away between them, but here's hoping there's plenty of life left in them as a unit yet.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett