Don't mess with KO

5 reasons why Kevin Owens is a world class performer

There was a time, five years ago or so, when the idea of Kevin Steen performing in a WWE ring would’ve been considered laughable. The former ROH Champion was always undervalued or underrated for a variety of different reasons, and yet in the present day, he’s one of the biggest stars in all of professional wrestling.

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29 titles won across various promotions in a 17-year career is quite legendary and makes him a bonafide veteran. That's more than Cena -- who has 25 titles to his name -- and many other known WWE legends. His journey certainly hasn’t been a conventional one, and in many ways, he probably thrives on that, because having his back up against the wall is when he tends to do some of his best work.

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That’s not to say that he doesn’t consistently perform at the highest possible level because he does, and week in and week out, and it’s a pleasure for us as fans to be able to watch him do his thing in front of millions around the globe.

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With that being said, here are five reasons why Kevin Owens is a world-class performer.

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#1 Physique

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Owens is a star regardless of his size
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Say what you will about Kevin Owens, but the guy continues to receive an awful lot of grief about his weight. It’s no secret that he’s a naturally bigger performer than most of the guys on the roster, and yet, instead of using that as a reason to be lazy in the ring, he uses it as motivation to be better than 95% of the stars that he’s up against.

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Owens is the living proof that you can make it to the top regardless of appearance, and that it shouldn’t hold you back from being able to do some incredibly athletic things.

Hell, there are some people down in 205 Live that wouldn’t even be able to pull off some of the moves that the former Universal Champion does.

#2 Realism

Owens laying out Vince was a huge moment
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When you’re watching pro wrestling, one of the key things that most fans look for is realism. If what we’re seeing in front of our very eyes is so unrealistic and unfathomable, then the idea of investing our time and attention into it is ridiculous.

Thankfully, that’s something that certainly isn’t an issue for Mr Kevin Owens.

The blurring of the lines is an art form that very few have mastered, like Owens has done, with there being numerous occasions in which we aren’t actually able to separate fact from fiction.

One of the more recent examples was his altercation with Vince McMahon, where he legitimately busted the Chairman of the Board open on live television. Ouch.

#3 Storytelling

The Festival of Friendship was a work of art
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Storytelling is the backbone of this business and if you can’t do it well, then you should just pack up your bags right now. WWE has been extremely hit and miss with this concept over the years, although in Kevin Owens, they finally appear to have found a guy who can knock just about anything out of the park – and he does it so effortlessly.

His storylines with Sami Zayn, Shane McMahon and Chris Jericho throughout his WWE tenure have been nothing short of sensational, and all three have led to incredibly impressive matches both on live TV and on pay per view.

When you’ve got an asset like that on the main roster, sometimes you don’t even need to try, because they’ll do 95% of the work for you.

#4 Adaptability

The Face of America gimmick was certainly out of his comfort zone
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As we all saw on his WWE 365 documentary, things haven’t always gone perfectly for Owens in the WWE. From poor booking decisions to matches that weren’t quite up to scratch, he’s been forced to reinvent himself several times now, with one of the bigger risks being when he became the ‘New Face of America’ following his United States Championship victory at WrestleMania 33.

That, in itself, is why Kevin can take just about anything and spin it into something positive. It was a character that was so far detached from his ‘cold and calculated psycho’ gimmick that he had in the past, which was also extremely different from his run atop the Raw main event scene with Chris Jericho.

Just give this guy the ball, and he can run with it.

#5 Confidence

Owens believes that he's the best
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Something that you absolutely need to succeed in this industry is confidence. If you don’t have that, then you’ll forever be destined to spend your career in the mid-card or as a jobber. Kevin Owens is the personification of someone who believes in his own abilities and believes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he’s one of the best in the world.

But that’s not the only point of confidence that he possesses because he’s also shown that he has a voice behind the scenes too. Whereas some stars choose to cower away and sit in silence, it’s been revealed many times now that Owens isn’t one to keep his mouth shut when he doesn’t like something that’s going on in his career.

You need to have some serious grapefruits in order to stand up for yourself backstage and still maintain a prominent position on the main roster, which is proof that Owens truly is the real deal.

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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Edited by
Nishant Jayaram
 
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