#been posting these sporadically on twitter since I started watching lmao

[cattivorosa]

hannigram as various texts I’ve collected

+ bonus:

[shanie-the-toyaddict]

I haven't watched WWE in years where do I begin to catch up with the zowens thing it looks so gay I want it

Well it all started in Montreal in 2003... LMAO. Uhh, so, no, honestly? Your best bet is to find a yt documentary or some yt videos (or even a written article or two) on them in the independent scene first. Because, as @mithen will tell, their story truly began in 2003 in IWS and has been one continuous story since then. You can't truly appreciate what's been going on in the WWE since NXT without knowing at least a little bit about what came before.

As for WWE, you need to start with NXT. R-Evolution is a good place to start, although I do recommend digging into Sami's journey to the title, he really was the Heart and Soul of NXT. But for strictly "Zowens" (as it is with "Sami Zayn" and "Kevin Owens") yeah, R-Evolution is the starting point. Specifically, the last 10 minutes or so of the PPV.

From there, you need to go through their entire feud, which lasts for basically the remainder of both their times in NXT. Then, you transfer to the main roster in 2016 and OMG I cannot stress this enough, BATTLEGROUND. Battleground is to this day their greatest match in WWE ever, no you don't even understand, that match is still getting callbacks to this day. Once you get through 2016, the next big stop is Hell in a Cell 2017. There is stuff between there but if you want peak content, go for HIAC.

That's where the fun really picks up.

There's a leadup to 2017 but really, HIAC 2017 is the start of them just being... dang. Their feud with Shane McMahon is just amazing and, once you get to about December or so, Kevin starts to go a bit off the rails with his affection towards Sami and that's when you get the peak gay content you're probably looking for. However. They both got injured in 2018 and had to leave TV (With Sami getting injured first and Kevin just "Quitting" because he wasn't about to be there without Sami) but they briefly reunited in 2019 with Stomping Grounds being... a thing. No really, the post-match, er, CELEBRATION... happened... and I still say that's why they got broken up soon after. Anyway, they really didn't do ANYTHING again until the end of 2020 (Of Note: The Halloween 2020 episode of Talking Smack. Find it. Know it. Love it.) but at Elimination Chamber, we finally got another interaction which led into a very strange feud in 2021 that included a match at Wrestlemania. Not gonna try and explain why that feud was so strange but, if you get to that point chronologically, you'll understand. After 2021, there has only been a few sporadic moments. There was a non-televised moment before Wrestlemania this year at Madison Square Garden that was important. There was also the May 27th? Episode of Smackdown which is where their current program truly began. After that, the August 19th episode of Smackdown had a very important moment... after the camera's turned off. You'll have to go to YT for that one. And then, the August 29th episode of RAW. Cannot stress this enough. That's about as important a recent moment as we've gotten to what's going on right now. And finally, September 30th. They only share screen time for about 30 seconds but by god is it a gay 30 seconds. That about covers it as far as I can think of. There's other stuff in there too but those are the most important bits. At least as far as Kayfabe goes. If you're looking for behind-the-scenes stuff, however, this past Wrestlemania and the press tour surrounding it had some rather interesting moments and the guys interact on Twitter a bunch. But we'll just leave all that alone and focus on the in-character stuff because, honestly, that's plenty gay enough as it is. OH! And if you want non-canonical fan content, I highly recommend Moonsault on Ao3. My god, the stories there. Also, @wrestlezaynia is your source for most things Zowens that go on day to day and also has great fanworks. (Love you babe!) If you're looking for my work, I'm Shanieomaniac on Ao3. Pretty easy to find, honestly. Finally, let me offer you THIS as a quick teaser for the ship as a whole.

It's a music video I made to a Tim Minchin song. ("Grew On Me") The video is mostly "Steenerico" (Which is the precursor to Zowens - Kevin Steen/El Generico, which were their Indies personas) but can give you a bit of a teaser on the friendship side of their relationship. The idea comes from how, during an interview once, Kevin explained how he didn't like Sami at first. He didn't. But the more he spent time with Sami, the more he liked him because, as Kevin put it, "He grows on you, like a fungus." Beyond that, yeah. Important blogs are @wrestlezaynia, @mith-gifs-wrestling, @moonsault-fics, @thesamiandkevinshow, and my new friends, @mrwrestlingkevinsteen and @thegenericluchador. Also recommend Mithen on twitter because they are constantly posting content and also links to their essays about the subject. If you really want a fun place to start, go HERE. The essay talks about her search for the "Holy Grail" of Zowens/Steenerico and how it was Kevin himself who led her to it. Anyway, hope this helps and if anyone has anything else important to add, feel free to jump in. You wouldn't think it, but I'm relatively new to this ship, only having arrived in 2019. So, uh, have fun, and please, enjoy the Sami and Kevin Show.