Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens: Winner and Reaction from NXT TakeOver Rival Special

Just two months after making his in-ring debut with NXT, Kevin Owens took the brand's top prize Wednesday night as he defeated Sami Zayn for the NXT Championship at the NXT TakeOver: Rival special.

Owens used his power and aggression to maul the now-former champ for much of the match. Zayn fought back on occasion, but Owens eventually took control and hit his former friend with a slew of powerbombs. Zayn kept kicking out, but the ringside doctors eventually called for the referee to stop the fight. 

The show ended with doctors tending to Zayn and Owens standing in the ring celebrating with his new belt. Elias Samson talked about the wild ending:

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Very INTERESTING end to #NXTTakeoverRival Zayn went down fighting. New Champion in @FightOwensFight @WWENXT @WWE

— Elias Samson (@IAmSamsonWWE) February 12, 2015"

In stark contrast to Owens' meteoric rise, Zayn finally reached the top of the NXT mountain at the NXT TakeOver: R Evolution special in December. He defeated Adrian Neville for the title after months of chasing it, but the celebratory mood was short-lived.

Owens, who had debuted earlier in the night with an impressive victory over C.J. Parker, seemingly came to the ring to congratulate his longtime friend. What he saw instead, however, was an opening, as he attacked Zayn and left him lying after the biggest victory of his career.

That resulted in Zayn demanding to fight his former friend at Rival, and while Owens ultimately obliged, he wouldn't budge until Zayn put his title on the line. NXT general manager William Regal was reluctant to give Owens a title shot so quickly, but he caved in at Zayn's urging.

Wednesday's match was significant not only because Zayn and Owens are two of the best talents in WWE's developmental system, but also due to the fact that they have so much history with one another.

They came up through the ranks together on the independent scene and truly made their mark in Ring of Honor as El Generico and Kevin Steen, respectively. Most NXT fans were well aware of their past even before what transpired at R Evolution, and WWE drawing from that has made their feud even more compelling.

As pointed out by Triple H, the fact that Zayn and Owens are known to be real-life friends has added an entirely different dimension and personal flavor to their rivalry:

To make things even more interesting, Owens has insisted that personal feelings have nothing to do with it. He made it abundantly clear that his focus was firmly on the NXT Championship and the benefits it would create for himself and his family.

Zayn's character is one that relies on emotion, though, which is a big reason why he is so popular. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that he has a different outlook than Owens and his all-business approach, as evidenced by a recent interview with WWE.com's Bobby Melok.

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I guess that's one of the differences between us. I'm not a liar. I will readily admit that I was hurt, that I'm angry. I'm a heart-on-my-sleeve kind of guy. I don't really play games. I'm not cerebral or mysterious. What you see is what you get. I'll readily admit this is very personal. It's deeper than the NXT Championship.

"

Owens' singular focus since joining NXT has been to win the NXT Championship, and he was exceedingly confident he would do precisely that at Rival:

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Go watch this week's episode of @WWENXT now. Watch until the very end. Seriously. Next Wednesday at TakeOver, I'm taking the NXT title. #KO

— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) February 5, 2015"

While Zayn scratched and clawed in an effort to maintain his spot at the pinnacle of NXT, Owens made good on his promise. He prevailed in a spectacular match that was undoubtedly aided by the fact that they have worked together countless times over the years.

Zayn and Owens seem to be slam-dunk stars at the WWE level in the very near future, and they proved that once again at Rival.

Even though Owens was able to vanquish his former friend Wednesday night, this has all the makings of a feud that could carry on for quite some time and bolster the NXT brand in the process.

Regardless of the result, both men rose to the occasion and flashed their limitless potential in an NXT title bout for the ages.

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