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It's official. Kevin Owens is back and looks more agile than ever. The Prize Fighter instantly replaced Kofi Kingston from his scheduled WWE championship match against Daniel Bryan in the main event of Fastlane.
Even though Owens abruptly replaced Kingston, we need to realize that WWE is portraying him as a babyface with genuine concern for others. Owens explicitly said Kofi Kingston also deserved to be in the championship as much as he does. Owens also did not attack Kingston and did not resort to any such heelish acts even though he was handpicked by Vince McMahon to be in the Fastlane title match.
But why would Vince McMahon handpick someone to replace a red hot babyface, who himself is a babyface? We saw that Vince chose Charlotte Flair to replace Becky Lynch in the main event of Wrestlemania 35, Charlotte has been a heel for a long time.
In this list, we will take a look at a few reasons why Vince McMahon wants to push Kevin Owens as a babyface:
#3. To showcase Owens' versatility
Owens is an amazing wrestler and a brilliant mouthpiece. He has been brilliant inside the ring for the entirety of his WWE career and has cut some of the best promos seen during this period. However, there have been complaints from a section of the fans that Owens was turning stale as a heel.
Owens could use a change in dynamics to ensure that such comments would not persist once he completes his babyface run on Smackdown LIVE. The Prizefighter is very similar to The Miz - a guy who could cut brilliant promos - whether he is a babyface or a heel.
Thus, such a change in character could showcase Owens' versatility.
#2. To flip the dynamics in the Sami Zayn - Kevin Owens feud
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have feuded in all parts of the world. They have been each other's enemies for a major part of their respective careers and some of the best feuds in 2015 and 2016.
However, in all these angles, Owens was the heel, and Zayn was the babyface. We cannot complain about this since Zayn was a natural babyface while Owens played the role of a bad guy really well. However, a change in dynamics could help WWE to revitalize this never-ending and evergreen feud.
During Owens' WWE title match against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane, Zayn could make a surprise return to cost Owens the title. Such a segment would help WWE to build into yet another Owens - Zayn feud, but this time, with the roles reversed.
#1. A character refreshment
Owens has been a heel in the WWE since he turned heel on his Canadian friend Zayn at NXT Takeover R-Evolution on the 11th of December on 2014. He brutally beat down an ecstatic Sami, who had just won his first ever title in WWE.
A few months later, Owens defeated Zayn at NXT Takeover: Rival, in brutal fashion after powerbombing Zayn repeatedly, forcing the referee to stop the match.
Even on the main roster, Owens was always a heel. His attack on Chris Jericho during the Festival of Friendship segment was one of the most heartbreaking moments in modern-day pro wrestling. Even his days on Smackdown LIVE were brilliant since he found himself in a long-term storyline which earned him a marquee match at Wrestlemania 34.
But ever since he moved to RAW back in 2018, Owens' character was killed off by the WWE creative. He became a heel who constantly ran away from Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley. Thus, a babyface run would freshen up Owens' character and may do him a world of good.
