Fight Forever: The Ballad of Kevin and Sami

by J.J. McGee, Jaime Shelhamer (Illustrator)

In Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, today's fans have one of the most coherent and long-term collaborations that has ever existed in wrestling history. Over the course of their twenty-year career we can document the number of matches they've been in together at over 300-and Kevin estimates it's at least double that, thanks to the sheer number of matches with tiny promotions that were never recorded.

J.J. McGee, a professor at Aichi Shukutoku University in Japan with a doctorate in rhetoric, has primed her brain to look for symbolism, recurring themes and subtle character work. Known to wrestling fans as "Mith Gifs", she has a gift for finding the little things that make a story special. Fans know they can count on her to stitch together the pieces of an elaborate tapestry, revealing the complete picture of what's really going on.

In Fight The Ballad of Kevin and Sami, she's exploring a partnership unlike any other-the saga of two men who fought their way from high school gyms to the grandest stage of them all at WrestleMania without ever losing touch with who they are.

Each chapter of this history will focus in-depth on one match, the fictional story leading up to and away from it, and some of the real events connected to it. As we move from one match to the next, you'll hear about the triumphs and losses, the disasters and miracles, the heroes and villains-both in the fiction and in reality-and follow along as the two men at the center of the story grapple with the defining question of both the characters' and the real peoples'

"Can we succeed together, or are we stronger apart?"

438 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2025

Reviews

[Lucy Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, from the very first page it reminded me why I’m a wrestling fan & why wrestling is an under-appreciated, misunderstood art form. The book details the interconnected careers of Kevin & Sami from beginning to end in just enough detail that you get the full picture without being boring. The interview with them at the end was the cherry on top! It just solidified my belief that Kevin & Sami are two of the very best wrestlers in the world. I aspire to be this good at writing about wrestling.

One thing that could have made it better: an index of all the matches mentioned in the book with dates/locations so I can easily go and watch them all now I’ve finished reading.

(I feel very special that I’m the first person to give this book a rating on good reads!)

[Tom Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know a book is brilliant when you find yourself genuinely sad to turn the final page. Much like with Kevin and Sami's story, I was yearning for another chapter, another twist. Wrestling is messy, weird, and completely unique in allowing two men to tell a single story across different companies, different decades, and different characters. That's as priceless as it is bizarre and it's very rare that a book can sell that genius as well as this does.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I just finished watching tonight's Smackdown, which took place in Montreal, Quebec, which is home to Sami Zayn. He had a match against Solo Sikoa and won. Enjoyed the match. I always enjoy watching Sami. Okay, well, the conspiracy theory storyline was a bit painful, but, Sami has always worked well with what he's given. Sadly, Kevin Owens was not on, due to needing surgery on his neck. He even missed what would've been a high-profile match for him at WrestleMania against Randy Orton. It looks, at least to me, like Sami may finally, FINALLY, be getting a push up. Rumors are out there, possibilities thrown out....

But, what does it have to do with this book? Well, I finished the book shortly before I watched Smackdown and I think it made me smile even more for Sami's surprise arrival (he's a member of Raw, not Smackdown, but I don't think that matters as much as it once did....I digress!). I didn't see Sami and Kevin in PWG or most of the other promotions. I did, however, catch them in ROH. Full disclosure: I was picking up those DVDs because I was a huge Tyler Black (and still a huge Rollins) fan and I wanted to see his reign as champion. But, while that might be the reason I picked them up, I honestly believe I enjoyed the Sami/Kevin feud more. They just worked so well together and, after reading this book, it seems that, whenever they've crossed paths, it's been gold. I remember being incredibly surprised that Sami (then El Generico) was called up to WWE before Kevin. It didn't make sense to me; Generico barely talked and Kevin could kill it in the mic as well as in the ring. Don't get me wrong, I was a fan of Generico, thrilled he got to go to WWE but I wasn't sure how they'd use him. Then....his matches with Claudio/Cesaro. Those were magical. I loved reading about them again. I remember the theory of Kevin's weight being thrown out as a reason he wasn't up there, but that never made much sense to me. He was really good at what he did. Then again, my first wrestling favorite was Yokozuna, so I guess, as long as they're entertaining, I never had an issue with how they looked. I loved the story of how, after Sami got hired, Kevin just started selling himself even more, how he did all these shoot interviews, the weekend escapades, the interviews. That man would not be denied and his determination is inspiring.

Honestly, I loved reading about all of this. The ones I'd seen, reading it felt like going back in time, watching the matches all over again, getting to relive them. The ones I hadn't, well the author did a great job at bringing it all to life. While I do enjoy my wrestling autobiographies, this was quite different. It was a look at the career, with only brief glimpses into their personal lives.

This book had it all. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me shake my head (Sami seems like he could be quite frustrating to work with, despite the fact that, if Kevin's right, his way to do it is the right way 98.5% of the time). I really enjoyed this a lot and I'm so glad I picked this up.

Fingers crossed that KO is able to heal well from surgery, rehabs for as long as it takes, so that there's at least one more chapter for this pair. After all, whether as a team or as enemies, they're meant to fight forever.

[ellie! · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong wrestling fan and huge fan of these people, I could not have loved this book more. McGee is a terrific writer and I wish (and hope) they write more!! I’ve fallen out of wrestling a bit this past year, but this book has made me excited to get back into it!!

[Gus Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I’ve been a huge fan of Kevin and Sami ever since their NXT days and I’ve been a fan of McGee’s wrestling analysis for the past couple years on Twitter. It’s hard to properly explain all the backstory of wrestling due to the sheer amount of matches and companies that you have to dig through, but McGee manages to do it flawlessly. Weaving 20 years of matches and companies into one smooth continuous story with different callbacks and motifs along the way. If you love wresting, you’ll love this book. And if you don’t love wrestling, this story showcases it at its very best and explains why so many people love something so goofy. 6 stars

[ReadinRasslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't enough wrestling books about pivotal, long lasting feuds because there are few as winding and wonderful as that between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. While I'd love to see a book about Bret and Shawn or Cena and Orton, those were all-time great feuds but had significant gaps between them and the two figures within them didn't complete one another. Kevin and Sami will always be linked to one another their entire careers and I don't think they'd have it any other way. J.J. McGee does a sensational job in summarizing over 25 years of the feud, friendship, and teaming between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for their entire lives and careers. Each of their feuds, not just against one another, but their world title reigns apart from one another and then some, are all covered with dedication and appreciation. This is a love letter to one of the most touching friendships and connections in wrestling history and it's beautifully written and covered. It's the story of two guys who went through hell and back to achieve their dreams, undergoing injuries, doubters, creative struggles, and moments of intense self-doubt, but their connection and need for one another always remains. It's one of the few wrestling books I've covered so far that I found inspirational. Can't praise this enough.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was delightful. You can feel the author’s passion for her subject in every page, and it’s very informative on the long history between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. I’ve seen a lot of that history play out over the years on TV, but still learned a lot. I hope this author puts out more wrestling books in the future, because she’s the kind of writer the genre needs more of. I’m glad she got a 90 minute interview with both of them at the end of the book too, where their personalities come out.

If I had one critique it would be that the WWE section turns into mostly a play by play recap of TV segments and matches, with fewer spliced in insights and quotes than the ROH/PWG portion. This is understandable since there’s fewer interviews available besides the 365 documentary, but the author even admits she ran out of time when interviewing them before asking any WWE questions, which is probably where she should have guided most of the interview, since there’s more blanks to fill in there than the independent portion.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I know absolutely nothing about wrestling aside from whatever one of my best friends has shared with me. This same friend has a friend, and that friend wrote this book. So, of course, I’m going to have a secondhand-fangirl moment and have a great time learning about one of my friend’s favorite people.

For not being a wrestling fan myself, I actually really enjoyed this book! Kevin and Sami’s story, from what I can tell, is a unique one. Even though I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of the sport or the culture, I love a good book about friendship. I think Kevin and Sami’s situation is extraordinary.

The writing was superb and engaging, and witty, too, at times. Even though I’m a stranger here, I didn’t feel as lost as I thought I would be. Everything was well explained and the terminology was accessible. Although I’m far too squeamish to ever watch wrestling myself, I’m glad I got a glimpse through this book!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite wrestler of all time - well ok tied favourite with CM Punk - is Sami Zayn. He’s been so ever since I watched a random ROH PPV when I was much younger, and saw a certain masked luchador clobber a steel chair over a certain opponent’s skull.

This book is a really excellent deep dive into Kevin and Sami’s entire career and while we all know how good these two are and how good their rivalry is - this book really highlights just how long and how nuanced a lot of it is.

The author makes constant detailed observations of things like Kevin and Sami’s facial expressions in a match - lending extreme weight to what could have been an easily missable one second glance for most viewers, but in the context of Sami and Kevin’s character work, is actually a vital story point.

A must read for anyone who has ever been interested in the longest and best wrestling feud of all time.

“I think we’re destined to do this forever”.

[Brett Lombardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story, a tale even of two men bound by the same love and passion into creating history together for over 20 plus years. It’s hard not to see the two as the defining duo/rivalry/dynamic of not just the WWE, but professional wrestling as an art form.