{"id":83574,"date":"2021-01-25T16:00:21","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T21:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=83574"},"modified":"2023-03-27T14:20:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T18:20:36","slug":"the-rejuvenation-of-kevin-owens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/01\/25\/the-rejuvenation-of-kevin-owens\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rejuvenation of Kevin Owens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arguably the biggest highlight in the WWE<\/strong> (and throughout the entire pro-wrestling business) over the past six months has been the arrival of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns<\/strong>.\u00a0 Indeed, since switching from Big Dog to Head of the Table; since abandoning a yard for an island, Roman Reigns has come on leaps and bounds to become must-see television.\u00a0 Reigns has the look and the talk; he has the ability and he has Paul Heyman<\/strong>.\u00a0 In short, he has all the makings of a top tier heel within professional wrestling.\u00a0 Perhaps what is being lesser referred to is that Roman Reigns also has the perfect opponent in a rejuvenated Kevin Owens<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/p>\n

In something of an unforeseen role reversal, Roman – who for years had succeeded John Cena<\/strong> as WWE’s resident Superman – has become WWE’s top heel.\u00a0 On the other side, Kevin Owens – an almost career-long heel (certainly within the WWE) – has become the top babyface on SmackDown<\/strong>, leading the resistance against the despotic Reigns.\u00a0 For all the (fully deserved) praise of Roman Reigns in his new role, Owens must also be credited for both his work in making himself a sympathetic babyface you want to root for and for doing the opposite for Reigns.<\/p>\n

In short, they are a match made in heaven and it can certainly be argued that both men were miscast for years in their reversed roles – only now finding their correct paths.\u00a0 They have benefited – as well as complemented – each other in rivals and given Roman has been the undisputed top guy for a number of years, it must be said that Owens is the one to have gained most from the feud.\u00a0 Let us take a look at how.<\/p>\n

Kevin Owens’ Main Roster Debut<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To say Kevin Owens has been a flop on the main roster would be largely unfair.\u00a0 He is a former WWE Universal Champion, which alone makes him one of the most successful NXT<\/strong> call-ups to date.\u00a0 This is despite Owens not possessing the traditional, polished look one might expect Vince McMahon<\/strong> to demand in a World Championship caliber superstar.\u00a0 Indeed, despite Owens’ look – that being the stocky frame, unkempt beard and “normal” height – he has become an almost universally beloved star behind-the-scenes, even with Vince himself who, given his past on-screen feud with Owens (including that<\/em><\/a> headbutt), clearly trusts Owens as a top-level performer.\u00a0 However, despite the acclaim both with his fellow peers and ruling brass alike, it could be said Owens had underachieved.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/p>\n

Owens officially signed to NXT in August 2014 to much fanfare.\u00a0 In the absence of Bryan Danielson<\/strong>, CM Punk<\/strong>, Claudio Castagnoli<\/strong>, Jon Moxley,<\/strong> and even close friend El Generico<\/strong>, who signed with WWE as Sami Zayn<\/strong> almost two years earlier, the then Kevin Steen<\/strong> had become the coveted “King of the Indies”.\u00a0 He embarked on a warpath of mesmerizing matches, culminating in an exceptional Ring of Honor<\/strong> run which saw him hold the ROH World Championship for little under a year.\u00a0 His arrival to NXT, therefore, was greeted with cheers from “hardcore” fans.<\/p>\n

Of course, his NXT run would prove to be similarly successful, as he headed the black and yellow brand during what is often considered a Golden Era.\u00a0 He held the NXT Championship for 143 days before dropping it to Finn Balor<\/strong> in Japan, this coming after Owens had already made an impact on the main roster in May of 2015; accepting Cena’s US Open Challenge, only to blindside him and later defeat him at Elimination Chamber<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Whereas Cena would (of course) win the rematch at Money in the Bank<\/strong><\/em>, there was no disputing Owens’ talent both in the ring and on the microphone; the latter skill perhaps being the one which endeared him to Vince McMahon.<\/p>\n

Universal Championship Run and Stagnation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fast forward a year and Kevin Owens – with Chris Jericho<\/strong> in his corner – would defeat Seth Rollins<\/strong> for his first taste of main roster world championship gold in the WWE.\u00a0 He would claim the WWE Universal Championship and hold onto it for 188 days before losing it in a squash match against Goldberg <\/strong>at WWE Fastlane<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This would prove to be Owens’ last world championship, as he has been (as of this writing) unable to capture further world championship gold since.<\/p>\n

This is something of a crime, given Owens’ undisputed ability; his likability and his work as a top heel, evidenced throughout his feud with both Shane<\/strong> and Vince McMahon.\u00a0 Perhaps, then, it was a peculiar decision when Owens turned babyface in July 2019 – aligning with The New Day<\/strong> against Shane McMahon (now a heel), Dolph Ziggler<\/strong> and Drew McIntyre<\/strong>.\u00a0 There were fans claiming at the time that this was a mistake – that Owens is such a top-level heel that the decision to turn him face was simply maddening.\u00a0 This was a fair argument, but completely unjustified.<\/p>\n