Sami Zayn has excelled since his move to WWE with The Underdog from the Underground already performing in several quality matches not only during his time in NXT but also on the main roster.

His continuing feud with friend turned foe Kevin Owens may well be a candidate for feud of the year as the two always seem to end up squaring up regardless of the match type, they seem destined to fight forever.

Speaking of 'fight forever' that is exactly what the crowd was chanting during Zayn's match of the year candidate with Shinsuke Nakamura with Dave Meltzer awarding the match a solid four point five rating out of the maximum five.

Zayn on Owens

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens seem destined to fight forever (imagestrictlysports2014.sportsblog.com)
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens seem destined to fight forever (imagestrictlysports2014.sportsblog.com)

The previous relationship of Owens and Zayn is something WWE have tried to talk-up as much as possible as their feud is set to come to a halt at Battleground

It was Zayn who would lay down the challenge to Owens and offer to put an end to their rivalry once and for all on July 24 at the Verizon Center.

The 31-year-old said of his former best-friend "I think that is one of the main advantages this rivalry has over a lot of the rivalries in the WWE currently, especially because the roster is so new."

Zayn believes that their rivalry has that genuine feel - due to their history making it believable to the crowd, but he says that other storylines lack this; "there is not" a lot of "genuine history" involved in current storylines that goes "back that deep."

He continued "Many people on the roster I have known for many years, like Cesaro, Seth Rollins, Luke Harper - a lot of them I have known for over 10 years, so there is built-in history there that you can go back to, Kevin more than anyone."

The former NXT superstar believes that the two of them have a sort of "twisted" relationship saying "when you have been in a relationship with anybody for that long there are going to be some real ups and downs and actual genuine reasons to fight. I think that is maybe that fans find captivating."

Zayn believes that friends can see the comparisons between their rivalry and translate it onto their own lives with their own friends making their feud that much more believable and enticing to watch.

On TakeOver match with Nakamura

When Zayn and Nakamura stepped foot inside the squared circle at NXT TakeOver: Dallas they probably had no idea they were about to steal the show, but that is exactly what they did. 

The two superstars told a story throughout their match that was never going to be able to be followed by the following matches and it was a fitting end for Zayn to bow out of the developmental show. 

He said "It was a real honor (facing Nakamura). A lot has been said about that match and it really was a special night. I think it was one of those nights when the stars just aligned and the story and everything could not have been better."

The King of Strong Style's status rose to even greater heights following his victory over Zayn, despite being one of the most high-profile imports that WWE has ever taken a chance on, his TakeOver match made everything seem worth it.

NXT produced its own mini WrestleMania that night and the former Ring of Honor performer said it was the "biggest stage" that the developmental show has had, he said it was "huge" with "10,000 people there" and they were all "so excited" to see Nakamura in his "first match."

Zayn said there was a "kind of unspoken air" that this would be his "last match with NXT" which in turn made the "whole thing very, very special."

He continued "That match meant a lot for me, for so many reasons I am really proud of it and I cannot wait to see how Nakamura continues to thrive, not only in NXT but in the WWE."

On the prospect of facing The 36-year-old once more if he ever makes it to the main roster, he said; "Hopefully we can lock horns again in the ring, I will be looking forward to it when that day comes."

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About the author
Joel Lampkin
Sports Journalist from Chester University, Professional wrestling writer. Contact [email protected]