5 similarities between Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon and Stone Cold vs Mr. McMahon

Two weeks ago, SmackDown Live saw Kevin Owens embrace his inner babyface, after turning on Dolph Ziggler. The former Universal Champion was the highlight of last week's episode, as he delivered one of the best promos in recent history, bashing Shane McMahon in the process.

Owens' promo was met with an incredibly positive reaction from the live crowd, and the aftermath on social media told the same story. The night didn't end here for Owens though, as he came back later to deliver a thunderous Stunner on Shane and assist Roman Reigns in defeating Dolph Ziggler.

On the latest episode, Shane got hit with another Stunner. These events have led to fans speculating on WWE trying to recreate Austin vs McMahon, possibly the greatest WWE rivalry ever. Let's take a look at 5 similarities between these two feuds.

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#5 Nice guy turns into a power-hungry villain

Vince and Shane

Up until the mid-90s, Vince McMahon was possibly the most wholesome entity on WWE TV. He could be seen supporting the babyfaces while doing commentary alongside Jerry Lawler, and always sported a calm and composed demeanor. When Bret Hart snapped on Vince, it led to the creation of the evil Mr. McMahon. Post-Montreal Screwjob, he became an arrogant, power-hungry man who wasn't someone to be messed with.

Shane McMahon's WWE return in 2016 was a huge moment, and he turned into one of the biggest babyfaces in WWE. He took on the role of a good guy authority figure and things went smoothly for a while. He even feuded with a heel Kevin Owens on one occasion. Shane turned on The Miz earlier this year and has now become one of the most genuinely hated heels in WWE. He regularly inserts himself in the top spot, and the fans aren't thrilled one bit. Shane is currently on a power trip and calls himself "Best in the world".

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#4 Evil boss vs heroic employee

A rivalry for the ages

This story is as simple as it can possibly get.

The basic premise of Vince McMahon vs Stone Cold was that the boss was a truly evil guy who never saw eye to eye with his nemesis, who was a fan-favorite. The story took off in a way no one had expected it to.

The simple reason why Austin vs Vince worked so well was the fact that people love a story in which an everyday guy stands up to his boss and goes on to beat him up on a weekly basis.

More than two decades have passed since then, and this classic story still seems to be working, if the last two SmackDown Live episodes are any indication. Kevin Owens is your everyday guy who stood up to his boss and took a stand for wrestlers he has wronged till date. There's no way something like this won't work, and we are in for a treat in the following weeks.

#3 That one iconic visual

Austin stuns Vince

What's that one visual that immediately comes to your mind when you think of Austin vs McMahon? Stone Cold delivering a Stunner on the evil boss!

Owens was allowed to use the Stunner to get him over with the fans as a babyface. His heel turn trashed those plans in a hurry, but Owens has turned back to being a babyface again, and the reaction to him stunning Shane was incredible, to say the least.

This single visual of the heroic employee hitting his boss with a cool-looking move such as the Stunner, is what makes these two rivalries strikingly similar. Fans used to react with huge pops whenever Austin stunned McMahon, and it seems like the aura of the Stunner hasn't died down one bit. Giving the Stunner to someone like Owens was the best move WWE could possibly make. All we need now is for the company to steadily push him as a legit anti-hero.

#2 Boss takes extra measures to take down the vigilante hero

Austin getting handcuffed

Another thing that made Austin vs McMahon incredibly popular was the involvement of outside entities. Clearly, Mr. McMahon wasn't powerful enough to face Austin in a one-on-one encounter, and thus always needed some backup to confront the rebel.

Longtime fans might remember Vince McMahon winning the 1999 Royal Rumble match by taking the help of several heels who made sure that Austin won't win the free-for-all. Security played a major role in this rivalry, as Vince used to regularly call them as a backup while facing Austin.

Last week's pipebomb was interrupted by Shane McMahon, who did everything in his power to put an end to the tirade. When cutting off the mic didn't work, Shane called security to contain Owens, who fled the scene immediately. It's only a matter of time before we see security handcuffing Owens in a segment, just like we once saw with Austin.

#1 Hero doesn't like how the boss runs things

Pipe bomb!

This is possibly the biggest similarity between these two rivalries.

In Austin's case, he was a rebel who didn't like how Vince McMahon was running the company. The fact that Vince wanted Austin to act in a certain corporate manner didn't seem to thrill the anti-hero inside him, leading to a Stunner that kicked off a legendary rivalry. Austin clearly didn't like how Vince was running things and wanted to do everything his own way.

Then, we have Owens vs Shane, with Owens getting sick of how Shane is taking advantage of his authority, and putting himself in a position of power when it comes to on-screen storylines. Shane recently beat the likes of Roman Reigns and The Miz in singles matches. Owens' recent promo showed how he is done with Shane running things backstage so as to highlight himself on TV, and wants to put an end to it.