What is an unsanctioned match in WWE and AEW? Everything to know about Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will take on each other in an Unsanctioned Match at the Elimination Chamber 2025. It is a type of match where the Wrestling promotion would not take any responsibility for the safety of the wrestlers. In WWE, it is termed a 'No Holds Barred' match while AEW calls it a 'Lights Out' match.

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On WWE Raw, Sami showed up and spoke about his long history with KO. The star wrestler claimed none of the Wrestling duo had a rollercoaster of a journey like him and Kevin. He agreed about not being medically fit but still demanded a match against Owens at the Elimination Chamber. Adam Pearce entered the scene and denied the request.

However, Sami was adamant about the match and forced Pearce to agree to the match. The WWE Raw GM had no option but to agree to the match. "At Elimination Chamber, it will be Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens, but Sami, this is not official... IT'S UNSANCTIONED!" Pearce announced.

Rules and Regulations of Unsanctioned Matches

An Unsanctioned Match can be won only when the referee decides to intervene and break the match up. The referee would do so only after one of the two wrestlers left the ring with their power. The match will not have any impact on the record of the wrestlers nor will it be recorded on the weekly shows.

In WWE, there are many such instances where the wrestlers are ready to go against each other without caring about their well-being. The match between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels at Unforgiven 2008 is well accounted for HBK's aggression which forced Y2J to give up. 

Likewise, another popular match was the one between Triple H and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33. Despite being badly injured, Seth wanted to have a match against Hunter for the world title. Fans were excited to see the match between Sami and KO. It could turn out to be one of the best 'No Holds Barred' matches in WWE history.