Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn: Winner and Reaction from WWE Battleground 2016

The latest chapter in the long-running rivalry between former friends Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn unfolded Sunday night at Battleground, with Zayn getting retribution in a winning effort.

WWE broke down how the match ended:

The overwhelming consensus was positive on Twitter:

The relationship between Owens and Zayn predates their time together in WWE. The Canada natives came up through the independent system together and formed a significant bond, but they have been at odds ever since they crossed paths in NXT.

Owens double-crossed Zayn after The Underdog from the Underground won the NXT Championship for the first time in emotional fashion, and The Prizefighter soon took the title that Zayn had worked so hard to possess.

After Owens put Zayn out of action for several months with a shoulder injury that he inflicted in a storyline sense, Zayn came back with a vengeance at Royal Rumble to eliminate the former intercontinental champion.

The two Superstars have been linked at all times since then, with both men taking part in the IC title ladder match at WrestleMania. The bad blood between them escalated during that bout, when Zayn took KO out of commission with an exploder suplex on a ladder.

Owens got some measure of revenge at the ensuing pay-per-view, when he scored a clean victory over Zayn at Payback.

That halted their singles feud temporarily, but they both went after the WWE Intercontinental Championship again in a multiman program and were part of the Money in the Bank ladder match as well. No matter where one went, the other followed.

Owens and Zayn have better in-ring chemistry than perhaps any other two Superstars on the roster, and that was on full display at Battleground.

Zayn's victory suggests there could be big things in his future, which is a positive development considering how little mic time he has received during his time on the main roster.

Owens shouldn't have any trouble rebounding since he is the total package, but Zayn needed the win badly. It could be the springboard that launches him toward top Superstar status in the near future.

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