#anyway as of the next match we'll be on the ones from 2021

[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.

[cherries-n-rocknroll]

Queen drummer Roger Taylor: 'No more number 1 in the Top 2000? Which arse has that on his conscience?'

Note: Thank you to @riaaanna for the first version! It was already pretty alright (I was pleasantly surprised for a google translate job!) but I thought since I'm Dutch I'd go over it and try to make it even better in some places. I took some liberty in a few spots because to, in my opinion, convey the message better rather than to give a literal translation that makes no sense. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

Roger Taylor. IMAGE YOSHIKO HORITA

For the first time in eight years Roger Taylor comes out with a new solo album named Outsider. With Adam Lambert as their frontman he is also working on new Queen music. 'We'll keep playing as long as we're able to do so.'

Stefan Raatgever 29 september 2021, 09:25

In a lavishly decorated room with velvet curtains and gold-shining candlesticks on the dresser, Roger Taylor appears in front of a screen. The connection was made by an assistant. We look inside his house in Surrey, an hour's drive below London, says Taylor. It is the house where, the Queen drummer showed on Instagram last year, an 8 meter high statue of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, is displayed in the garden. "A little flashy, but I think Freddie could have had a good laugh about it," he added.

Roger Taylor (72) looks cheerful this afternoon. He says he spent the strict British lockdown in his English home on the coast of Cornwall. "I got lucky. I could walk in peace there every day."

With Outsider, Taylor – writer of Queenhits such as Under Pressure and These Are the Days of Our Lives – made a solo album for the first time in eight years. It appears the day after tomorrow (October first 2021). On songs such as Isolation and We're All Just Trying to Get By, he sings about his experiences with the pandemic. Taylor also took old songs like Foreign Sand from 1994 and Absoluty Any-thing from 2015, and added them to the new album. There will also be a new Queen tour, with Adam Lambert as frontman. On July 1st and 2nd 2022 the group will perform the Rhapsody Tour in the Ziggo Dome.

What made you decide to make music on your own again?

"All of a sudden I had a lot of free time to come up with new ideas and I felt like I had to put that to good use. I also felt the creative juices flowing again. The songs came easily. The circumstances were inspiring. On the news I saw the people in Italy. It was terrible to see how they were locked up. That's how Isolation came to be."

Opening song Tides is about mortality. Were you very busy with that?

"Of course I was concerned. At my age, I fall into the risk group. If I had gotten the virus, I could have died. But the song is mostly about getting older, about starting the last chapter."

Does your age influence the choices you make?

"I do look differently at, for example, my own solo tour this fall. Now that the clock is ticking audibly, I want it to be all about having fun. So I also play my favorite Queen songs (he was heavily criticized for that in the past in the British press, ed.). I just want to enjoy it with my audience now."

That used to be different?

"We had to build our career! We couldn't just do whatever we wanted. Thanks to that sharpness and a good dose of luck, Queen's music is still so popular. What also helped: with Adam Lambert as our frontman, we really managed to lift our concerts to another level. It fits so well! And then of course there is the film (Bohemian Rhapsody from 2018, ed.): it brought our music to a new generation. Just like the musical We Will Rock You."

"Brian May and I could have retired years ago, but we enjoy continuing to play. We'll keep doing it as long as we can."

In 2008 you made a Queen album with Paul Rodgers as your lead singer, The Cosmos Rocks. Will you also make new music with Adam Lambert?

"I was listening to that album recently. I don't think it got the attention it deserved. There are really good songs on it. But it's always about timing and the people just weren't ready for a Queen album without Freddie. There was reluctance to accept Paul as our singer, even though he has a beautiful voice. Very bluesy. On the other hand, he was not the perfect match for us because of that. Adam is a much better fit in that sense."

And is the timing for new music better now because of that?

"Without a doubt, yes."

So? There is something coming?

"We recorded a song with Adam in Nashville, yes. But it's not quite finished yet. We haven't decided what we want to do next, but I'd love to record more with Adam."

Something else: do you know the Dutch Top 2000? In that radio list of listeners' favorite songs, you topped 17 out of 22 editions with Bohemian Rhapsody.

"No, I don't know that one, but it sounds like good news."

Only you lost the first place since last December.

Laughing: "What? Which arse has that on his conscience? Danny Vera? That does not ring a bell. Roller Coaster? I've heard that song before. Oh, I'll give it to that boy. I think 17 out of 22 is a pretty good score for us."

Tagging some people who might wanna read this: @sixtiesblues @illfoandillfie @terryboot @natromanxoff @scorpiogemini @jennyggggrrr @ohladymoon