Kevin Owens has weighed in on Sami Zayn’s historic United States Championship win, calling his perennial rival and friend “Top 1” while jokingly adding, “I still hate him though.”
The reaction came shortly after Zayn defeated Solo Sikoa in the main event of the August 29 episode of SmackDown from Lyon, France. The victory marked the first time in his career that Zayn has held the United States title. Following the win, WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H posted a photo with the new champion, praising him as “one of the best.”
This prompted a response from Owens on Twitter, who offered his own brand of congratulations.
“One of the best indeed… Top 1, in my opinion,” Owens wrote. “I still hate him though. Or maybe not. I don’t know, it’s hard to remember. Depends on the day, I guess. We’ll see what happens. One thing I do know for sure is that he’s the best.”
Zayn’s championship moment came after an intense battle with Sikoa. Before the match, Zayn, a Quebec native, addressed the French crowd with a promo entirely in their language, promising to capture the gold. During the contest, Sikoa’s allies, the MFTs, attempted to interfere, but Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu emerged from the crowd to neutralize the threat, allowing the match to continue one-on-one.
The finish saw Zayn survive multiple Spinning Solos, including one onto the commentary table. He ultimately countered a Samoan Spike attempt into an exploder suplex, followed by two consecutive Helluva Kicks to secure the pinfall victory, ending Sikoa’s 62-day reign.