When Sami Zayn made his triumphant return to the WWE main roster some two weeks ago, the match every wrestling fan had been waiting for, seemed inevitable.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32.
It could have been one of the greatest Intercontinental Championship matches in WrestleMania history. A match for the ages, and another chapter of a near seven-year rivalry between the best of friends turned bitter enemies. However, their journey together spans much longer than seven years.
The pair met at a wrestling show in 2002, and their friendship was instantaneous.
“I’d say, from our first meeting, we were very likeminded in our goals and wants, our passion for this. I think our goals were a little different, but very similar. It was all about ending up here in WWE. I think that’s why we were drawn to each other,” said Zayn in an interview on WWE.com.
More brothers than friends, under the names Kevin Steen (Owens) and El Generico (Zayn), they teamed and competed across the globe, holding tag titles with promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Ring of Honor (ROH).
However, in December 2009 after losing to The Young Bucks, Owens would turn on his brother and long-time partner; a move which produced one of the most memorable rivalries the indie circuit has seen.
After establishing themselves as legitimate singles competitors, the bright lights of the WWE soon came calling. Zayn signed with WWE in 2013, and it did not take long for WWE to snatch up Owens as well, who would sign the following year.
Their feud reignited in spectacular fashion when Owens would once again turn heel on Zayn, this time after Zayn had finally won the NXT Championship. Two months later, Owens would take the championship from Zayn in the most emphatic and shocking championship match in NXT history.
Unfortunately, the rivalry has been put on hold for some time now, with injuries plaguing Zayn for the best part of a year. But with Zayn healthy once more, and both men on the main roster, Zayn vs. Owens at WrestleMania was set in stone… or so we thought.
In a bizarre turn of events, any hope for this match at WrestleMania was shot down on Monday Night Raw when Stephanie McMahon announced that Owens would be defending his Intercontinental Championship in a seven-man ladder match against Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Stardust, Zack Ryder and Sin Cara.
Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against any of these guys; they are all good workers, and why Ziggler is not in a singles match at WrestleMania is beyond me. But what makes no sense, is that the entire segment on Raw was based around the fact that Ryder, Sin Cara and Stardust were scrubs who Owens would steamroll in a match.
So why on earth are they now competing for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania?
Lazy writing is what it is. It is just another example of WrestleMania coming round and WWE having an abundance of superstars with no storylines; and to make up for it they simply throw them all into a multi-man match.
I am sure the match itself will be technically sound, and exciting to watch, but a singles match between Owens and Zayn would have been so much better. Unlike this multi-man match, their storyline has depth. It has everything a great wrestling rivalry needs.
Two friends who met over a decade ago. Two friends who fought with, and against each other, across the globe, pursuing the ultimate dream of making it to the WWE. Two friends who looked set to finally do battle on the grandest stage of them all, the culmination of years of hard work, commitment and dedication.
You could not write a better story.
Yet here we are, staring down the barrel of another multi-man Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania wondering would could have been.
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