3 Reasons why Kevin Owens should return to RAW and 3 reasons why he should come back to SmackDown Live

The world of wrestling is full of speculations. Each and every moment we witness a thousand rumors and predictions circulating the internet. WWE, the biggest promotion of them all, garners a lot of attention from the world. With the rise of AEW and other promotions like NJPW, ROH and Impact Wrestling producing some of the finest wrestling matches ever, one wonders what WWE will do to remain at the top of the mountain.

With Dean Ambrose already set to leave the company and many other wrestlers reportedly demanding their releases, it would be exciting to see in which direction the WWE roster heads. Many superstars are set to return to the squared circle in 2019 and their proper booking will surely lead to an increased viewership. One such returning superstar is Kevin Owens.

The Canadian wrestler was an indie veteran and left his mark with the exceptional performances he gave while working for Ring of Honor. Wrestling under his birth name (Kevin Steen), Owens would go on to win the ROH World Championship and ROH World Tag Team Championship, along with various other titles in the independent circuit.

Making his WWE debut in 2014, Owens would defeat CJ Parker in a grudge match at NXT Takeover: R Evolution. Fans were wondering as to where Kevin Owens would go on from there, but their questions were answered the same night.

Sami Zayn (who was associated with Owens in ROH as El Generico) would win the NXT Championship in the main event of the PPV. Kevin would come out to congratulate Zayn before brutally assaulting the new champion.

Since then, Owens has achieved almost everything there has been to achieve. He won the NXT Title and held it for 143 days before losing it to Finn Balor. During this tenure, he would even make his main roster debut, defeating John Cena in a Champion vs Champion match at the Elimination Chamber 2015 PPV.

‘The Prizefighter’ would then go on to feud against the likes of Ryback and Dean Ambrose over the Intercontinental Championship. Losing his second IC Title at WrestleMania, Owens would go on to lead RAW post brand split as the Universal Champion. Winning his first US Title at WrestleMania 33, Owens would have an epic rivalry with AJ Styles over the title before entering into a feud with Shane McMahon.

Fat forward a few months and Owens is floundering in the mid card of RAW, jobbing out to Braun Strowman on multiple occasions. A double knee surgery forced the WWE officials to have Lashley injure Owens (in kayfabe) to write him off television.

Recently, a video aired on RAW which saw Owens enjoying at the bowling arcade with his family. He did announce that he will be returning to the ring in a month, but was unsure of the brand. He came across as a full-ledged babyface, a side of his character which the WWE hadn’t tapped onto until now. So, without further ado, let us take a look at the reasons why Owens would return on Raw or SmackDown:

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#6 Return to RAW: Content featuring his return aired on the red brand only

Vignettes of his returned aired only on RAW and not on SmackDown

This would make the most sense, won’t it? When Curt Hawkins was set to make his re-debut on the SmackDown brand, promos and vignettes hyping his return would be an exclusive feature of the blue brand. Videos featuring the transformation of Emma to Emmalina would feature exclusively on RAW, as the female wrestler would return on the red brand only.

The episode of RAW after TLC, which saw McMahon family took control over WWE (in kayfabe), was the RAW which first aired the vignette hyping the return of Kevin Owens. While nothing regarding his return was showcased on the show in the following months, the most recent (11th February, 2019) RAW tapings saw another video, which featured Kevin Owens announcing his return to the WWE within a month. With Owens being a part of RAW before injury (like Dean Ambrose), it would make sense to have him back on the red brand.

#5 Return to SmackDown Live: Lack of baby faces

SmackDown Live needs him

While his return was hyped only on RAW, what if this is just another trick of the McMahons to create the shock factor when Owens shows up on SmackDown? Owens is surely set to work as a fan favorite upon his return to the company. With Daniel Bryan and Rusev turning heel and Mustafa Ali out of action, bringing Owens back to SmackDown seems to be the most logical move at the moment.

Owens is seemingly one of the best on the mic and can be used to elevate any feud. Owens returning would add a new dimension to the SD Live roster, allowing creatives to build-up more feuds for the future. Owens can be a part of various intriguing storylines.

Consider Owens taking up the fight to Samoa Joe; those two are amazingly talented wrestlers with similar ring skills and over-the-top mic work. Just the name of the two wrestlers involved will be enough to sell the match out. This is the impact Owens can have on the blue brand.

#4 Return to RAW: To feud with Bobby Lashley

The WWE Universe will surely cheer for this

There have been many injury angles in the WWE. Some of these saw Matt Hardy return at WrestleMania 24 to cost MVP, the guy who took him out with an injury (in kayfabe), the MITB contract win. Also, Sami Zayn returned at the Royal Rumble 2016 PPV and eliminated his best friend turned bitter rival, the focus of this article, Kevin Owens.

So, it does make sense that Owens returns to the red brand to take out the competitor who costed him months of his career: Bobby Lashley.

The Almighty Bobby Lashley is set to defend his Intercontinental Title in a Handicap Match, with his hype man joining forces with him in an attempt to defeat Finn Balor. The referee can be knocked out in the match, which will set the stage for Kevin Owens returning to takeout Lio Rush with a running clothesline on the outside, before flooring Lashley with an apron powerbomb.

Balor would follow with a Coup de Grace for the title win. This will not only allow someone like Mojo Rawley or Elias to get a chance to contend for the IC Title at WrestleMania, but would be the perfect way to set up the Owens/Lashley program for WrestleMania.

A tag team match at Fastlane featuring the team of Balor and Owens going up against Lashley and Rush would serve as the catalyst to this feud, which Owens is bound to win. Who knows, maybe Sami Zayn can return at WrestleMania to even the numbers up for Kevin, leading to both men finally joining the tag team division of the red brand post-WrestleMania.

#3 Return to SmackDown Live: Making the US Championship relevant again

The face of America

The US Title has been a complete joke lately. Jeff Hardy’s short reign with the title after WrestleMania 34 seemed to be promising, but things started going downhill when Shinsuke Nakamura won the title from him. No doubt that Shinsuke is a talented wrestler, but it was his inconsistent booking that led to both him and the title coming out as failures.

A title win by Rusev was welcomed by the audience, but things never went as expected, with Shinsuke winning the title at the Royal Rumble, before losing it to R-Truth on the following SmackDown tapings.

It is clear that the once prestigious title has lost all its relevance now and is need of a serious reboot. Enter Kevin Owens. One needs to remember that it was his epic rivalry with Chris Jericho and AJ Styles which made the title a must-see and it was after he moved out of the title scene that things went downhill for the title.

Owens can return to SmackDown Live with the ‘Face of America’ gimmick yet again, but working as a fan favorite this time. He can win the title before or at WrestleMania and feud against the likes of Andrade, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton and Rusev to make the title prestigious yet again.

We have seen in 2016 how The Miz made the IC Title relevant on the blue brand and something similar is needed to bring more eyes to the brand’s secondary title, before they move over to the FOX network.

#2 Returns to RAW: There is always a plan B

Batista may not return, so is this plan B?

This may come across as the least likely option of them all, but what if Kevin Owens makes his return to Raw and talks about getting a title opportunity, only to be confronted by none other than his mentor, Triple H.

While we have seen this storyline multiple times, it is a sure shot fact that anyone who wrestles Triple H can easily turn into a babyface. Given the fan support and the momentum with which he’s going to return, there is no better heel than Triple H to battle Owens at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Just imagine HHH and Stephanie criticizing and mocking Becky Lynch yet again on an episode of RAW in March. They would boast about how walking alone has led to Becky being alone in the WWE.

This would lead to her calling some back-up, which will of course be Kevin Owens. A heated argument between the two men, followed by a physical assault not only furthers the Becky/Charlotte/Ronda program, but kicks off the Owens/HHH storyline as well.

These men have a lot of history together, given the fact that Triple H chose Kevin Owens over Seth Rollins, leading to the latter battling it out with Hunter at Mania 33. Classic promos from both men leading up to the show, followed by a hard fought victory would be the best way to introduce Owens’ babyface character to the WWE Universe and solidify it.

With Ambrose set to leave WWE and Batista busy with movie projects, Owens may come across as a suitable opponent for Triple H.

#1 Returns to SmackDown Live: Some past environmental issues

The Prizefighter vs The Evil Vegan

This brings me to the final and the most important reason why Owens would return to SmackDown Live. He is a RAW superstar and has to return to RAW only, like Dean Ambrose, Jeff Hardy, etc. But the reason for him jumping ship to the blue brand is this:

Daniel Bryan, the current WWE Champion is set to defend his organic title inside the Elimination Chamber this weekend. He is mostly going to retain his title inside the barbaric structure. This brings up the issue of setting up a new no. 1 contender for the WWE Title.

Styles has already been in the title picture for too long, Mysterio is still busy with Andrade, Jeff Hardy is not booked properly to come across as a credible threat while Mustafa Ali, Kofi Kingston and any NXT call-up will not be WrestleMania caliber feuds at this stage. Thus, bringing in a known talent in Kevin Owens is the best alternative, as he has a lot of momentum coming off the injury.

Both Owens and Bryan have never faced in a singles match before in the WWE, but they did take part in a tag team match at WrestleMania against each other. The chemistry shown by the two men was awesome and the diverse move set of both the wrestlers is enough to create a 5-star classic.

Kevin Owens is critically acclaimed for his mic skills, while the ‘new Daniel Bryan’ has been on fire with the mic recently. Having Owens defeat Bryan to win the much deserved WWE Championship would be the perfect way to set up Owens as the focal point of the blue brand, allowing Bryan and/or Styles to make a shift over to RAW.

Here you have the 3 reasons why Kevin Owens should return to RAW and 3 reasons he may jump ship to SmackDown. Which brand would you like to see him on and against whom? Do drop in your valuable opinion in the comments box!