5 Times WWE Superstars got in trouble for going off-script

#3 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are sent back from WWE's UK tour after SmackDown incident

The incident happened in late 2017, while WWE was on a UK tour. During an episode of SmackDown, the heelish duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was involved in a segment with The New Day and Shane McMahon. The original script called for Owens and Zayn to put over The New Day by taking a beating at the hands of the trio and then fleeing the scene. This sequence was written to make The New Day look strong on the road to WWE Survivor Series, where the trio was set to take on The Shield in an inter-promotional match.

Kevin Owens and Zayn instead left the ring, leading to an awkward visual. The two Superstars received major backstage heat following the incident, and were sent back home as a punishment for their deeds. Many believed at the time that Vince McMahon was going to suspend the duo following the incident, but they were back on WWE TV the very next week.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Kaushik Das