5 Mistakes WWE cannot make with Kevin Owens as a babyface

This week on WWE SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens cut a "pipebomb" style promo and shocked the pro wrestling world with a full-fledged babyface turn.

The former WWE Universal Champion ripped into Shane McMahon, accusing McMahon of taking TV time away from talented Superstars such as Liv Morgan and Apollo Crews. By the end of the show, Owens had cemented a feud with Dolph Ziggler and Shane McMahon on the blue brand and stuck it to his "boss" Shane by hitting the self-proclaimed Best In The World with a Stunner to close SmackDown Live.

After KO's big babyface turn this week and reports that Owens wanted to turn face in order to see where he could take himself in WWE, it looks like the company's next top face could be the unlikely Kevin Owens.

With Owens poised to make a name for himself as one of the new faces of WWE, let's take a look at five mistakes WWE cannot afford to make with Kevin Owens' face turn.

#5 Do not turn him into the next Stone Cold Steve Austin

It's never a good sign when WWE pushes a talent as the "next Stone Cold", or the "next Rock." The reason why those legendary names became stars is because they were the first of their kind, and brought a unique flavor to WWE.

When WWE pushes stars in the same mold as someone else, it always feels inorganic and unnatural, and rightfully so. Kevin Owens need not be the next Steve Austin, he needs to be the first Kevin Owens.

KO using the Stunner is not a problem, because wrestling moves are meant to be handed down over time, but the buck should stop there as it pertains to comparisons between Owens and Steve Austin.

With KO entering a feud with Shane McMahon that could culminate in a singles match at WWE SummerSlam, it's important that WWE doesn't completely rehash Stone Cold vs Vince McMahon, as that lightning will likely never strike twice, as has been duplicated with less success in the past.

#4 Kevin Owens cannot lose clean to Shane McMahon

If recent reports are to be believed, then WWE will be using the upcoming Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens feud as a way to write Shane McMahon off TV as a regular character.

The feeling in the company is that more focus needs to be placed on young, upcoming talents, so removing Shane McMahon as a recurring character on Raw and SmackDown Live could free up some much needed time for underused talents such as Liv Morgan, Apollo Crews, etc.

Should Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon have more than one match during their upcoming feud, it's important that Owens not lose cleanly to McMahon. If WWE intends on building KO up as the company's next major babyface, then he needs to prove his dominance in the ring against an opponent like Shane McMahon, so Owens can seriously move right into WWE Title contention following his program with McMahon.

#3 WWE should not overly script KO's promos

Stone Cold Steve Austin had his breakout moment in WWE when he cut the famous Austin 3:16 promo, and it's said that entire monologue was the brainchild of Steve Austin himself.

If Kevin Owens is going to get over as the next mega, rebellious babyface in WWE, the company should stay far away from handing him overly scripted promos.

When WWE hands carefully written scripts to talents, the result confines the talent to the character which WWE is trying to create, as opposed to allowing the character to organically grow from the talent himself.

When WWE attempted to build John Cena as the next Rock, following Cena's successful Dr. of Thuganomics character, the fans rejected it as it felt unnatural and "corporate."

It's often said that characters like The Rock and Steve Austin were just Dwayne Johnson and Steve Austin with the volume turned up, so here's to hoping WWE hands Kevin Owens a live mic, and simply turns the volume up.

#2 Keep the catchphrases and nicknames to a minimum

WWE is obsessed with the catchphrase and even more obsessed with the nickname. If you had to do a shot of whiskey anytime the name "Lunatic Fringe" or "Scottish Psychopath" has been said on WWE TV, you'd need a liver transplant nearly every week.

Furthermore, WWE does not need to force a catchphrase on Kevin Owens in order to make him a successful babyface. The "yes" chants created by Daniel Bryan were organic, Steve Austin's "what" line (which is now universally loathed due to repetition) came from something Austin was really connecting with. But when WWE forces some type of catchphrase on a character it rarely has the potency of something the audience recognizes as more grounded.

The new Kevin Owens should focus on hitting the audience with his truth, and over time some unique catchphrases and even nicknames might arise out of the natural progression of KO's character.

#1 Keep Owens away from Sami Zayn

The team of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn has certainly been a potent combo on WWE television, but with Owens turning babyface, it's now time to split up the Owens - Zayn connection which is best known as a heel group.

With Sami Zayn currently off television awaiting creative to reinsert him into WWE storylines, it's a better idea to keep Zayn as the excellent heel he is, and far away from the newly turned babyface Kevin Owens. In the long run, separation will give Sami Zayn fresh on-screen dynamics with new Superstars and will allow KO to settle into being a face.

As an honorable mention, WWE should make sure KO retains the popup powerbomb. The popup powerbomb might be more synonymous with Kevin Owens' heel character, but it is still a powerful and defining move for KO, which he should retain.

Owens using the Stone Cold Stunner is definitely a welcomed addition to Owens' repertoire, but keeping the popup powerbomb in his arsenal will help keep Owens unique from Steve Austin.

What other mistakes should WWE avoid with a babyface Kevin Owens? Let us know in the comment section!