Kevin Owens Reacts To Sami Zayn’s Dramatic WWE Championship Victory
Kevin Owens has given his genuine reaction to his best friend Sami Zayn finally becoming the WWE Champion.
The relationship between former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens and current WWE Champion Sami Zayn is long and full of twists and turns.
Owens and Zayn wrestled for a decade before they got to WWE in the mid-2010s, and have spent more than a decade as the best of friends in WWE, as well as the most bitter of enemies. Simply put, you can’t talk about either man’s career without the other.
When Kevin Owens last had a match in WWE, it was at Elimination Chamber 2025 when he beat Sami Zayn in an incredible Unsanctioned Match.
A few months later, in July 2025, Kevin Owens underwent neck surgery and has been out of action for over a year as a result.
Kevin Owens is back on WWE TV as a coach on WWE LFG on A&E, but it hasn’t led to a return to the ring. Hopefully, that return to the ring will happen soon, even though there’s no report on when that comeback might happen.
Sami Zayn Becoming WWE Champion Is Well Deserved, Says Kevin Owens
In the main event of WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sami Zayn did the unthinkable by countering a Cross Rhodes attempt by Cody Rhodes and sitting on top of Cody while holding onto his legs. The referee counted to three, and Zayn got the clean win to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion for the first time in his decade-plus-long WWE career. Gunther was the third man in the match, but he was knocked out of the ring after taking a Cross Rhodes from Rhodes.
During Zayn’s celebration, announcer Michael Cole mentioned Kevin Owens, as many WWE fans were likely thinking of him, given his long history with Zayn. However, Owens was not there.
On X/Twitter, Kevin Owens shared this thoughtful message celebrating his best friend, Sami Zayn, and making the point that Zayn has long deserved it.
I’ve missed a lot of things I wish I hadn’t in the last 15 months because of this injury but today is, by far, the one I wish I had been there for the most.
He has brought out the best in me as both an ally and a foe. That’s because he is THE best.
When you’re consistently that good for that long, you become undeniable.
Sami becoming WWE Champion was inevitable. He has deserved that moment for a very long time and I am so happy to see him finally get it.
Now enjoy these pictures of me annoying him at various stages of our careers. The last one is him putting on my sock in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere in Texas because I thought I had broken my back the night before and could not move. He had to help me put on my boxers too.
Look how happy he is…
Now tell me he doesn’t deserve to be champion!
@SamiZayn
I’ve missed a lot of things I wish I hadn’t in the last 15 months because of this injury but today is, by far, the one I wish I had been there for the most.
He has brought out the best in me as both an ally and a foe. That’s because he is THE best.
When you’re consistently… pic.twitter.com/bIn3uCzBLs
— Kevin (@FightOwensFight) June 27, 2026
Well said, KO. Please come back soon.