Kevin Steen and El Generico

Kevin Steen and El Generico

Steen (left) and El Generico (right).
Tag team
Members Kevin Steen
El Generico
Name(s) Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kel Steenerico
Steenerico
Team IWS
Debut February 17, 2006
Disbanded December 19, 2009
Promotions ROH
PWG
IWS
WWE

Kevin Steen and El Generico was a professional wrestling tag team that performed on the independent circuit. The two both ended up in the WWE as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, respectively.

History

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Generico and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions for the first time. They successfully defended the belts for almost three months, losing them to the team of Davey Richards and Super Dragon on October 27 in England as part of PWG's European Vacation II tour. The next night, Steen teamed with PAC in an attempt to regain the belts from Dragon and Richards, announcing pre-match that if he lost, he'd leave the company indefinitely. He was unable to win the bout.

Generico and Steen won the title for a second time, this time from The Dynasty (Joey Ryan & Scott Lost) on March 21, 2008, after Steen returned to PWG for an impromptu match. They became the first team in PWG history to be a part of the annual Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament to defend the belts in each match they had. In the tournament finals, they lost to Jack Evans and Roderick Strong, thus ending their second reign. After El Generico had agreed to a deal with WWE, he and Steen reunited one more time on January 12, 2013, by entering the 2013 Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament. After wins over The Briscoe Brothers and Future Shock (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly), they were defeated in the finals of the tournament by The Young Bucks.[1]

Ring of Honor

El Generico and Kevin Steen debuted in Ring of Honor as a team losing to the Briscoe Brothers on February 17, 2007. On April 14, Mark Briscoe returned in the middle of his brother Jay's and Erick Stevens match against Kevin Steen and El Generico; Mark was beaten up by the duo and was pinned by Steen. On May 11, Kevin Steen (as a heel) & El Generico (as a face) defeated Jason Blade & Eddie Edwards.

At Respect is Earned in a dark match, Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated The Irish Airborne (Jake Crist and Dave Crist), Pelle Primeau and Mitch Franklin, and Jimmy Rave and Adam Pearce with Shane Hagadorn in a Tag Team Scramble match. That same night Kevin Steen and El Generico brawled with the Briscoe Brothers ending with Mark Briscoe suffering a mild concussion from a steel chair shot. At Driven, The Briscoe Brothers defeated Kevin Steen and El Generico to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[2] Steen and Generico then suffered losses to the Briscoes at Caged Rage in a Steel Cage match, Manhattan Mayhem II in a two out of three falls match and Man Up in a ladder match. Their only tag team win over the Briscoes was at Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 in a non title Boston Street Fight.

On June 6, 2008 Steen and Generico participated in the one night tournament to crown new ROH World Tag Team Champions. They defeated Go Shiozaki and ROH World Champion Nigel McGuiness in the first round and Chris Hero and Adam Pearce in the second round before losing to Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black in the finals. On September 19, 2008, Steen and Generico defeated Jacobs and Black to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[3] They later lost the Championship to The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards).[3]

On December 19, 2009, at Final Battle 2009, ROH's first live pay-per-view, after a loss to The Young Bucks, Steen turned heel by attacking El Generico.[4] Steen and Generico's feud ended a year later on December 18, 2010, at Final Battle 2010, where Generico defeated Steen in an unsanctioned Fight Without Honor, where he put his mask on the line against Steen's Ring of Honor career.[5]

December 16, 2012 marked the final battle between Steen and Generico in Ring of Honor. At Final Battle 2012, the 4th Ladder War match took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. What ended up being Generico's final match in Ring of Honor, Generico came up short against Steen after Steen hit the Package Piledriver on a ladder contraption built throughout the match by both competitors.

WWE

Generico later signed to WWE on January 9, 2013, where he worked in their developmental territory NXT as Sami Zayn, while Steen remained signed to ROH.

On August 12, 2014, Steen signed with WWE and was also sent to NXT under ring name Kevin Owens and debuted at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in the opening match. In the main event, Zayn defeated Adrian Neville to win the NXT Championship. After a long celebration with the roster (including Owens), Owens turned on Zayn, delivering a powerbomb on the apron and re-igniting their feud.[6] Owens later won the title from Zayn at NXT Takeover: Rival exactly two months later via knockout after continuously powerbombing Zayn.

On the May 16, 2016 episode of Raw, Owens and Zayn were placed in an ad hoc tag team match to face Cesaro and The Miz in a winning effort, but Owens would attack Zayn immediately after the match. The two would go on to have a grudge match at the Battleground pay-per-view where Zayn would come out victorious over Owens.

In wrestling

El Generico (left) and Kevin Steen (right).

Championships and accomplishments

References

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