How Kevin Owens Got Sami Zayn To Break Character On The Indies

Highlights

Owens and Zayn, best friends turned WWE stars, have been wrestling together since 2003.
Their legendary rivalry in ROH led to an intertwined career path in NXT and WWE.
A funny moment from their indie days surfaced when Owens farted in the ring, making Zayn laugh.

There have been many instances over the years in which professional wrestlers have broken character, even under the intense spotlight in the professional world of WWE. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are both presently in WWE, but before making it to the promotion, they made a name for themselves on the independent scene as Kevin Steen and El Generico, both as friends and enemies, much like their time in WWE has showcased. During one particular trip to Europe, Owens and Zayn had a match and moment in which Zayn ended up having to break character in what is a comedic anecdote told by Owens.

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Have Been Friends For Decades

Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens Have A Long History On The Independent Wrestling Scene

Owens and Zayn have been wrestling together since 2003
They had an iconic rivalry in ROH
Their former ring names were Kevin Steen and El Generico

Before looking at the moment itself, it is nice to go back and look at the relationship between Owens and Zayn - one of the most wonderful friendships and journeys in professional wrestling for sure. The pair started out on the Canadian independent wrestling circuit, striking up a friendship with one another. Their journey in wrestling together started all the way back in 2003, when they had their first ever match together, and since then they became best friends, best men at weddings, and going as far to call each other brothers.

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Their journey through the independent scene in the 2000s was great, taking over Ring of Honor with both their tag team and rivalry, which is up there with the best ever in ROH history. The Steen vs. Generico series is iconic, with countless classics. They both eventually ended up in NXT, with them engaging in a feud in 2014 when Owens made his debut on the developmental brand and turned heel on his best friend. This kickstarted two careers in WWE which would forever be intertwined, going through stages of feuding with one another, such as in NXT in 2015, RAW in 2016, SmackDown in 2021, and then as allies in both 2017/2018 and in 2023, where they main evented WrestleMania in an iconic moment when they won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships.

There have been both light-hearted moments, such as when Zayn engaged in a conspiracy theorist gimmick in 2021 and Owens responded with complete contempt, and ultra serious moments too, like when Owens beat Zayn to a pulp for the NXT Championship, but one of the more humorous moments of their time together in professional wrestling came all the way back in 2006.

Kevin Owens Made Sami Zayn Break Character By Breaking Wind

A Kevin Owens Fart Caused Sami Zayn To Crack

They wrestled in Italy for IWZ
Owens farted to make Zayn break character

As previously noted, Owens and Zayn competed on the independent scene, carving out their careers and eventually earning a spot in the big time. Before the pair even made it to Ring of Honor, they were battling in the likes of PWG, CHIKARA, and CZW, in addition to an array of other smaller promotions. One of those was IWZ - International Wrestling Zero, and they would go over to Mailand, Italy to compete in front of European fans.

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On a show which saw other recognizable names like Becky Lynch, per cagematch.net, Owens and Zayn battled under their previous names of El Generico and Kevin Steen in singles action. The show was in a larger arena, but as ever on the independent scene, ticket sales were not great, and they had to wrestle in front of only a handful of people, which made a funny moment even more humorous. This story was revealed on Reddit when Owens hosted a Q&A, and he was asked whether he’d ever farted in the ring, to which he revealed he did, and it made Zayn break character. He said:

“I once farted during a match with Generico in Italy. I warned him before it too. I said ''Wait, wait, listen...'' and then it happened. He couldn't handle it. We were wrestling in front of 50 people in a 3000 seat arena. Great memories.”

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Have Made Other Wrestlers Break Character

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Are A Funny Pair In WWE

Zayn making The Bloodline break character is a legendary WWE SmackDown moment
Owens made Roman Reigns laugh during a house show
There have been several instances of WWE wrestlers breaking

Owens and Zayn are both known to have infectious personalities, so it is no surprise that Owens made Zayn break character by pulling a stunt with this. Over the years, as seen in WWE, Zayn has been a master at making his colleagues break character, doing so to Becky Lynch in a backstage segment and even the entire Bloodline in the ring on a now infamous segment on Friday Night SmackDown.

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In the case of Owens, he’s done a lot of funny stuff on WWE programming, making others break. There was one instance that made the rounds online of Owens’ trash talking making Roman Reigns break character. It is always funny when this happens, and it can make wrestlers all the more endearing.