Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn Sent Home From WWE UK Tour
The duo were reportedly sent back to the US for deviating from the script.
Recently-aligned heel duo Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been sent home from WWE's United Kingdom tour, a key factor being their actions on Tuesday night's SmackDown Live - according to a report by ProWrestlingSheet.com.
The pair are said to have "gone into business for themselves" - or deviated from the established plan - following Zayn's loss to Kofi Kingston in the opening match of the night.
Owens jumped Kingston immediately after the pinfall, only for the heels to bail to ringside when Big E and Xavier Woods charged in to save their partner. Many sources have apparently since cited that the original plan was for Zayn and Owens to "feed" for the New Day - assuming the correct position to take bumps and put over the babyfaces.
Instead, the pair rolled out of harm's way, backing slowly up the ramp together as the segment ended on a slightly disjointed note.
The pair's removal from the tour was a decision approved of by Vince McMahon himself, according to a report by Sports Illustrated.
ProWrestlingSheet's Ryan Satin also wrote that multiple sources claim the pair have been a little difficult to work with recently, and seem unhappy backstage.
This isn't the only recent instance of apparent dissent in WWE. Former Cruiserweight Champion Neville hasn't been seen onscreen since he was thought to have walked out of Raw, following instructions to lose to Enzo Amore. Similarly, writer Jimmy Jacobs (a former star in Ring of Honor) was recently fired by WWE, following an incident where he took a selfie with Bullet Club members during their 'invasion' of a Raw show in Ontario, California.
It's perhaps worth noting that Owens and Zayn are said to be close with both Neville and Jacobs.
The SmackDown superstars had been involved in an overarching feud since December 2014, when Owens attacked Zayn following the latter's NXT Championship victory at TakeOver: R Evolution.
The rivals shockingly aligned at last month's Hell in a Cell pay per view, where Zayn interfered in the main event to save Owens from a Shane McMahon cell dive.
The pair are said to have "gone into business for themselves" - or deviated from the established plan - following Zayn's loss to Kofi Kingston in the opening match of the night.
Owens jumped Kingston immediately after the pinfall, only for the heels to bail to ringside when Big E and Xavier Woods charged in to save their partner. Many sources have apparently since cited that the original plan was for Zayn and Owens to "feed" for the New Day - assuming the correct position to take bumps and put over the babyfaces.
Instead, the pair rolled out of harm's way, backing slowly up the ramp together as the segment ended on a slightly disjointed note.
The pair's removal from the tour was a decision approved of by Vince McMahon himself, according to a report by Sports Illustrated.
ProWrestlingSheet's Ryan Satin also wrote that multiple sources claim the pair have been a little difficult to work with recently, and seem unhappy backstage.
This isn't the only recent instance of apparent dissent in WWE. Former Cruiserweight Champion Neville hasn't been seen onscreen since he was thought to have walked out of Raw, following instructions to lose to Enzo Amore. Similarly, writer Jimmy Jacobs (a former star in Ring of Honor) was recently fired by WWE, following an incident where he took a selfie with Bullet Club members during their 'invasion' of a Raw show in Ontario, California.
It's perhaps worth noting that Owens and Zayn are said to be close with both Neville and Jacobs.
The SmackDown superstars had been involved in an overarching feud since December 2014, when Owens attacked Zayn following the latter's NXT Championship victory at TakeOver: R Evolution.
The rivals shockingly aligned at last month's Hell in a Cell pay per view, where Zayn interfered in the main event to save Owens from a Shane McMahon cell dive.
Written by Jack King
jack.king@cultaholic.com Twitter: @JackTheJobber