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Kevin Owens has once again proved how good he is on the mic on the latest episode of SmackDown LIVE. Even after getting banned from entering the arena owing to an altercation with Dolph Ziggler, Owens kicked off SmackDown LIVE with a promo similar to CM Punk's "Pipebomb" back in 2011.
The promo by Owens was so intense that Shane McMahon had to cut off multiple microphones including the broadcasting mic of commentator Byron Saxton. Owens had already shown some symptoms of standing against the company on the previous episode of SmackDown LIVE when drifted away from pre-approved questions in the Kevin Owens show and began mentioning the Undertaker during the talk show with Shane and Drew McIntyre.
However, in this thread, we will take a look a look at three horrific truths spilt by Kevin Owens during his "Pipebomb".
#3. McMahons' hypocrisy and the promise of a new era
Kevin Owens started his "Pipebomb" by addressing how he was a company guy for far too long but he had enough. So Owens began giving us a flashback to the McMahons' promo on 2018 December. Vince McMahon, Triple H, Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon promised us that they would start listening to the WWE Universe and give the fans what they wanted - a better show.
However, other than allowing Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston winning their respective titles at WrestleMania 35, this point could not be farther from the truth. The quality of the shows deteriorated over time. We got a plethora of rematches between the same wrestlers over and over again. For instance, during the Stomping Ground PPV, we got four rematches from previous PPVs.
#2. Shane McMahon taking all the spotlight
After turning heel on the Miz at Fastlane 2019, Shane McMahon has been one of the biggest presences on SmackDown LIVE. Leading to a marquee match at WrestleMania 35, it is quite understandable. However, after the introduction of Wildcard, Shane McMahon has been on both the shows for almost all the episodes.
Even though we should appreciate the work commitment of Shane, there is no denying that he is taking up most of the TV time and hogging all the spotlight. McMahon is now in multiple feuds at the same time - against Roman Reigns, The Miz, and now, against Kevin Owens.
Also, remember the fact that Shane McMahon is the only WWE Superstar to pin Roman Reigns after the Big Dog returned from his hiatus from WWE. At the same time, one of the most promising talents, Drew McIntyre, lost two out of two times against the Big Dog.
#1. Underusing the talents
“You take up TV time from Apollo Crews, Murphy, Ali, Liv Morgan, Asuka, Kairi Sane." - Kevin Owens.
Unsurprisingly, WWE has the biggest roster in Professional Wrestling. However, only a few of the Superstars in WWE get regular TV Time. WWE Superstars like Apollo Crews, Buddy Murphy, Ali, Liv Morgan, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sheamus, and Rusev, and tag teams like The Authors of Pain barely get any TV time. Nakamura recently received a singles match against Finn Balor but the others are still massively underused.
The most important trick WWE is missing here is the strategic use and rotation of the roster. While keeping some of their elite stars regular on TV, WWE should use the other stars sporadically. WWE has been a failure in that regard and Kevin Owens justly exposed it.
Hopefully, this promo is the affirmation that WWE will address these issues within the company and will give us a better product in the near future.
