Since his debut in May of 2015, Kevin Owens has become one of the top heels in the company. He’s been a two-time Intercontinental and one-time Universal Champion in his short time on the main roster and has become one of the few popular heels in WWE that can still get a crowd to boo him.
While the injury to Finn Bálor certainly helped KO become Universal Champion, these five things were ultimately the deciding factor to put the World title of the flagship show of WWE on “The Prizefighter”:
#1 He’s one of the best workers in WWE
There are many reasons for Kevin Owens’ success in WWE, but the biggest reason is the man’s in-ring ability. KO has put on excellent matches with several talents on the main roster that work different styles, including Sami Zayn, John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.
His battles with Ambrose over the Intercontinental Title were some of his best yet, including their Street Fight at the 2016 Royal Rumble that made WWE.com’s “Best Matches of the Year” list.
Also read: 5 Best heels in WWE today
Owens has also shown the ability to have great matches in any type of setting. Whether it’s a regular one-on-one match, a no-DQ match, a cage match, Hell In A Cell, or a ladder match, Kevin Owens always brings it.
He also has a knack for pulling out a new, innovative move during a big match at the perfect time. It’s very clear that Owens understands the nuances of professional wrestling and uses them inside the ring to his advantage and to get him over as a heel.
#2 He’s clever and entertaining on the microphone
One of the most important aspects of a wrestler’s character is his ability to cut a promo. Kevin Owens is an excellent promo and has been so since his pre-WWE days. KO never refrains from telling a fellow competitor how he feels about them and usually finds a way to diminish or make fun of them in the process.
Owens does a fantastic job of getting good guys over with the crowd by being cocky, brash, and impudent.
Recently, he has joined forces with another master on the mic in Chris Jericho, and the two have yet to disappoint. Two of the most entertaining superstars in WWE, Jericho and Owens, have given us several promos that were absolute gold.
The two have been extremely funny and entertaining, but they always stick to the script of putting the babyfaces down or running down the crowd, in order to get booed and to get the good guys cheered.
#3 He's a prize fighter
Heels in wrestling, traditionally, are loud-mouths that run away from real competition or take shortcuts to get where they want. Since his debut, Kevin Owens has referred to himself as a prizefighter.
KO doesn’t mind competition, unlike most traditional heels who whine and complain when put in a tough spot or use help from others to win, but Owens heels it up by putting off a fight in order to have the fight on the biggest stage possible.
Nothing was more evident of this than his debut feud with John Cena. KO answered Cena’s U.S. Title Open Challenge back in 2015, but instead of fighting for the U.S. Title, Owens was more interested in making a statement against the man who had owned the top spot in WWE for over a decade.
Owens told Cena that he wouldn’t fight him on Raw but only at the upcoming PPV, which was Elimination Chamber. At the Chamber PPV, KO proved that he wasn’t all talk and wouldn’t back down from a fight, beating Cena clean in the middle of the ring in his first WWE match ever.
That set the tone for KO’s career moving forward and now he is the ultimate prizefighter as the WWE Universal Champion.
Since winning the title and joining forces with his best friend Chris Jericho, KO has lost a little of his prizefighter spirit. Hopefully soon, Kevin Owens will get back to being the prizefighter we all know him to be.
#4 Fantastic in-ring psychology
Another main facet of being a great pro wrestler, and being a great heel for that matter, is in-ring psychology. Kevin Owens is one of the best in WWE at telling a story within the match and has proven that several times throughout his short WWE career.
From the story told leading up to the match to the facial expressions and manoeuvres used during the match, Owens’ feuds tell complete stories from beginning to end. One of the things KO is best at is telling a story with his face during a match.
From hastily blowing off his competition leading up to a match to the roller coaster of emotions he goes through during a match, Owens knows how to tell a story and subsequently gets his opponent over in the process. His feud with Sami Zayn in NXT and WWE has highlighted KO’s excellent in-ring psychology.
Him turning on Zayn in NXT was one of the greatest heel turns in the company’s history and helped put him in position to be a top heel moving forward, but it was the promos leading up to the match itself that shined a spotlight on KO’s in-ring psychology, highlighting his ability to get the feud over before they even had a match.
#5 One of the few guys that “heel it up” with refs and fans
Maybe KO’s biggest asset is his ability to rile fans up in his true heel fashion.
Whether its yelling at crowds while he has his opponent in a headlock, berating fans on his walk to the ring, or responding to fans abruptly on Twitter, Owens is one of the few guys in the business who keeps “kayfabe” alive at all times.
His venomous tweets aren’t just reserved for fans, but also other wrestlers. His constant disdain for Sami Zayn and his back and forths with Roman Reigns during their feud have been highlights of his ability on Twitter.
But him going after WWE’s official Twitter page may have been his best heel work yet:
There is no doubt that Kevin Owens is one of the most talented and entertaining superstars on WWE’s roster.
His ability to interact with fans and his in-ring work are second to none on the main roster and we expect KO’s dominance as a top heel on WWE’s flagship program to continue.
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