The KO-Sami Zayn Split and KO’s Transfer to SmackDown Explained

An interesting recent development in the world of WWE is the split-up of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, one of the most popular and successful tag teams in the company.

There may be several reasons behind this move, but one thing is clear: this has changed the landscape of WWE quite a lot, and things will be quite different from now on.

The two have been friends for years and have both won and lost many tag team titles together. Their bonding made them one of the most loved teams in the WWE landscape.

However, WWE has split up Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s tag team as KO was traded from RAW to Smackdown. It was announced officially on the day of the season premiere of the blue brand.

Fans are speculating that this sudden split and KO being traded has something to do with Cody Rhodes. Rhodes has also helped Jey Uso move to RAW in return for a SmackDown superstar. KO was taken in as Main Event Jay Uso’s replacement.

1. Why did WWE split up KO and Sami Zayn?

Nick Aldis, the new SmackDown General Manager, has announced that the official reason for Kevin Owens trade to SmackDown was because he wanted KO to focus more on the singles competition. Here’s his entire statement:

“So, when I got to thinking about it, there are a lot of different moving parts, a lot of new ones, right now, but I felt like Kevin Owens met the criteria for a number of reasons. One, obviously, is that he is a very, very top-tier talent. But also, we are in a new season, and I feel like Kevin Owens is entering a new season of his career. Meaning that he has just come off an incredible run with Sami as the tag team champion, so I feel the time is right for him to look at singles competition again.”

However, fans rightly pointed out that this move has much more to it than KO focusing on the singles competition. The move is also heavily influenced by Cody Rhodes orchestrating Jey Uso’s move to RAW.

KO has been traded to Smackdown as Jey Uso’s replacement. This happened after Rhodes orchestrated Uso’s switch to the red brand a few weeks after quitting WWE himself.

Aldis has himself mentioned that Cody Rhodes was instrumental in the deal that brought Jey Uso to RAW, so a RAW superstar going to Smackdown was expected and obvious.

It is just that KO being the replacement for Jey Uso was not expected by a lot of people, given that he had a strong bond with his tag team partner, Sami Zayn.

In fact, KO had spent a large part of 2023 in a rekindled team with Zayn. Fans did not expect their partnership to break so quickly. Nevertheless, WWE is known for such twists.

2. Why didn’t Cody Rhodes come to SmackDown?

One of the most surprising things about this deal is that Cody Rhodes himself did not turn up in SmackDown despite being instrumental in this Jey Uso-Kevin Owens switch.

Rhodes is currently the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. This means that he’s allowed to appear on both Smackdown and RAW. He is also one-half of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions with Sami Zayn, a title that gives both of them the same privilege.

Cody Rhodes probably did not show up at Smackdown as he was busy preparing for his upcoming WrestleMania 40 match against LA Knight. Rhodes is expected to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship title in this match.

Another possible reason could be to avoid confrontation with Roman Reigns. The superstar has returned to Smackdown after a short break and was not happy to see his former rival, Kevin Owens, back on the show. Since Rhodes was instrumental in KO’s transfer, Roman Reigns might have unfinished business with him. Rhodes might be trying to avoid the confrontation with Reigns for his reason.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes also have a history of rivalry, dating back to the days in The Sheild and The Authority. The duo has fought each other over various titles such as the Money in the Bank briefcase and the Royal Rumble match.

In Wrestlemania 38, Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns in a Hell in a Cell match to become the first Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. So, the two superstars having a face-off is not a good idea, especially since Rhodes has to face La Knight and defend his title.

Another reason could be to avoid any problem with Sami Zayn, his only tag team partner right now. The two have fought for many individual titles and have been on opposite sides on Judgement Day and The Elite Day. There could very well be a storyline of Sami betraying Cody Rhodes, as he broke KO and Zayn’s tag team.

All in all, Rhodes did not turn up to avoid conflict. Things are pretty hot now, so let’s see how it goes in the future.

3. About WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., doing business as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and various other business ventures.

WWE shows are sports entertainment, featuring story line-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches; though including moves that can put performers at risk of injury, even death, if not performed correctly. It was founded in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation and is the largest wrestling promotion in the world. It is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.