Kevin Owens had one of the best moments at NXT Takeover War Games, being unveiled as the final man of Team Ciampa and making his first NXT apperence since he went to RAW & Smackdown. As revealed in an interview on Corey Graves After The Bell podcast, this was planned weeked in advance.
Tight Lips Backstage Make For Great Moments
In an era of social media where backstage news is so readily available and news leaks are expected, it’s rare to get truly shocking moments like Kevin Owens returning to NXT to wage war. The only other example that comes to mind was the moment when The Hardys returned at Wrestlemania to the loudest reaction of the evening. They didn’t even take any extra precautions backstage on the night of TakeOver, he was walking around normally, nobody leaked this huge news though, which was perfect.
The speculation of who the last man for team Ciampa was a great mystery and built plenty of hype. Names like Johnny Gargano, Velveteen Dream, a debutting John Morrison and more were tossed around but no one knew for sure. I hope WWE can take the same care with future shocking moments.
Kevin Owens Being Granted Permission To Do The Stunner From Stone Cold
Years before starting to use the move as a finisher, Kevin Owens asked permission from the master of the move himself, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was happy that Owen’s wanted to use the Stunner as a finisher, says it was about time, because nobody had asked him before. He tried to go through other channels to start using it but that got shut down, although he did sneak it into a Roman match at the Royal Rumble to a huge reaction. He noted he was getting annoyed at so many people doing a powerbomb, or every match having some variation of it, and wanted something fresh. The Stunner ended up being a perfect fit for his brawling style, and while it took some getting used to, fans are warming up to someone other than Stone Cold raising hell and hitting people with the Stunner.
Heel/Face Is Outdated
Kevin Owens stated that he feels at this point, the dynamic of faces & heels are outdated, he doesn’t care if fans want to cheer him or boo him. All Owens cares about is making sure the fans are making noise when he’s around, that he’s having them reacting to what he’s doing. People like Roman Reigns & John Cena have similar thoughts on this topic, with them being divisive figures for wrestling fans and often getting mixed reactions. Fans are more inclined to cheer Kevin Owens lately, but he’s always towed the line between the classic face & heel dynamics, never truly fitting in either box.
Kevin Owens seems to be sticking around on Monday Night RAW, picking a fight with old rival Seth Rollins & new foes, The Authors of Pain. Maybe we will see him in NXT again someday, but for now, fans are just happy he’s in a prominent role once again.
