Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens Can Become the Best Feud in NXT

One of the most popular wrestlers in WWE’s NXT program is their champion Sami Zayn. He won the championship in dramatic fashion over Adrian Neville in December’s NXT R Evolution.

What’s next for the champion? Try fighting his best friend, Kevin Owens.

NXT R Evolution opened with the debut of Kevin Owens, who defeated CJ Parker in an impressive performance. Owens later came out to congratulate Zayn on his championship victory. The entire roster followed, and they hoisted Zayn on their shoulders.

The rest, as people say, is history.

Zayn and Owens were the last ones to head to the back, then Owens turned on Zayn. Owens clotheslined his friend on the concrete floor. He followed that by powerbombing Zayn on the ring apron, the hardest part of the wrestling ring. Satisfied with the damage he caused, Owens left his former friend unconscious. Doctors put Zayn on a stretcher and Owens, his best friend, ruined his culminating moment.

That was the lasting image of the NXT’s latest special. The 2015 campaign began with one question in mind: When will Zayn get his revenge on Owens?

The answer is unclear at this time, but their confrontation is inevitable. In fact, their feud could potentially become the best in NXT history.

What can make this feud great? For starters, there’s their history.

Zayn and Owens knew each other before their time in the WWE. They were partners in Ring of Honor as El Generico and Kevin Steen, respectively. They also fought before Zayn and Owens eventually moved on to NXT.

They had amazing matches heightened by their story. It’s a fundamental storyline in the wrestling world: former best friends fight. It worked before in the WWE on numerous occasions, albeit for different reasons. Hulk Hogan and the late Andre The Giant come to mind, as do Triple H and Shawn Michaels. These two feuds are still discussed to this day.

This brings us to the potential. Zayn always fought to win that title with the stigma that he couldn’t become champion. Now that he holds the title, he needs a test.

That test is fighting an opponent that can push him further than he’s ever gone. Cesaro played that role for Zayn before Zayn went after the title. Their matches started to put NXT on the map.

Zayn needs that nemesis again, and Owens can fill the role perfectly. Owens can become Zayn’s "Bane," a villain that cannot easily be defeated. He could inspire doubt among fans that Zayn can overcome a monster like him. Owens has the skill set and brutality to start an ongoing war with Zayn.

The WWE sees this. Various sites (including The Inquisitr) are reporting WWE officials want Zayn and Owens to have a lengthy feud. That could mean swapping the title over the course of 2015. It also could mean Zayn becoming Owens’ kryptonite. He can defeat Owens on numerous occasions before Owens takes the title from him.

Endless possibilities surround this potential story. Frankly, it’s better to start this sooner rather than later.

Zayn and Owens can become the best feud in NXT history. The NXT developmental system has the opportunity to create a feud on par with the WWE’s best battles. They have two dynamic wrestlers in Zayn and Owens. They have the intriguing story. Why delay their inevitable bout any further?

It’s time for NXT to bring Zayn and Owens together in the wrestling ring for the NXT Championship.