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If you haven't seen WWE SmackDown recently, you'll have missed the incredible work of newly-turned babyface Kevin Owens. After years as a heel (and a few days as a New Day member), the Prizefighter has found a niche for himself as the voice of the people.
This week, the former Universal Champion cut a scathing worked shoot promo on Shane McMahon, bringing up many real complaints fans have about the Best in the World. Given Owens' natural skills on the mic and incredible presence in the ring, fans are wondering what the Canadian could say next week in his next pipebomb. Here are five suggestions.
#5 Mention some of Vince McMahon's failures
Though Kevin Owens' on-screen beef is with Shane McMahon, as the voice of the people, the Prize fighter's real problem isn't really with Shane, but with the Chairman, Vince himself. After all, it is Vince's decisions that have gotten fans so riled up, including the choice to have his son be a part of so many major feuds over the past few months.
As the voice of the people, mentioning some of the Boss' shortcomings could really help Owens get over with the fans as a babyface. Perhaps mentioning the original XFL (arguably Vince's greatest failure) would be a step too far, especially with the new league set for a 2020 release date, but there's plenty of things Owens could mention to take the boss down a peg. If he's daring, Owens could mention the failed bodybuilding promotion, the WBF that Vince tried to make a thing in the early 90s, or even his restaurant WWF New York, which closed its doors in 2003.
#4 Address the company's dwindling ratings
It's safe to say that 2019 hasn't exactly been the best year for WWE. Ratings have been down, ticket sales have fallen for Live events, TV and Pay Per Views and fans have grown even more critical of the product. In this digital technology age, any fan with a bit of intrigue will quickly find countless articles online documenting the issues the company is facing right now, and having Owens address the falling viewing figures would definitely be interesting, or at the very least, get some of those wayward fans to tune back in.
They say the first step to beating a problem is admitting you have it, and having the former Universal Champion do that on TV would definitely get fans even more interested in what he has to say on his journey to shutting Shane McMahon up for good.
#3 Refer to other promotions
Kevin Owens has had plenty of success in WWE, holding the NXT, Intercontinental, United States and Universal titles, all within his first five years with the company. But any wrestling historian worth their salt will tell you that WWE isn't the only place the Canadian has honed his craft.
Before making it to the McMahon-led promotion, Owens competed as Kevin Steen in promotions like Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla, as well as CZW. If WWE are bold enough, having Steen refer to his past employers by name could be great, as it'd give a lot more depth to the Prizefighter's character, rather than just saying he worked on the indies. WWE fans know there are other promotions out there, and if Owens is to be the voice of the people, don't hide from the obvious truth.
#2 Bring up AEW
The idea of Kevin Owens bringing up old promotions he used to work for is one thing, but if Owens really wanted to shock everyone watching, then name-dropping All Elite Wrestling could definitely be the way to go. Since its inception in January this year, AEW has been a thorn in the company's side, adding to McMahon's growing problems including dropping ratings and low ticket sales.
Owens mentioning AEW wouldn't be the first time the new promotion would be mentioned on WWE TV (Sami Zayn did it a few months ago), but could definitely be the most shocking thing the Prizefighter could do. Much like in my previous post, there's no point in WWE insulting the fans' intelligence by pretending there isn't another company in town, and mentioning AEW would definitely make Owens one of the people.
#1 Mention CM Punk
CM Punk may have been gone from WWE for over five years now, but even in his absence, the real Best in the World remains a talking point. Punk, who walked out of WWE in 2014, left on very bad terms with the company, but before his departure portrayed a rebel who stood up against the system, citing himself as the voice of the voiceless.
Sound like someone we know?
Mentioning Punk by name would certainly get the Prizefighter headlines, as though the company has (very rarely) mentioned the former WWE Champion since his departure, it has almost always been as a joke (e.g. Stephanie's jibe after Punk's UFC loss). Having Owens mention Punk as a serious moment would definitely be shocking, but in this new era of Executive Directors, it seems anything is possible.
