5 Reasons Kevin Owens Must Win The WWE Intercontinental Title
Kevin Owens is the man to restore the integrity of the IC belt, and here are 5 reasons why.
Even the most passionate Kevin Steen fans wouldn't have seen the impact that the rechristened Kevin Owens would have on the largest wrestling stage of them all.
Within a couple of months of making his debut in NXT, Owens defeated Sami Zayn for the NXT title, and just a couple of months after that he made his debut on the main roster, defeating John Cena clean as a whistle right in the middle of the ring. It has been a dream start for the French Canadian, and to say his future is bright would be a huge understatement.
His momentum may have slowed down in recent times, but when you open with such intense forward movement, expecting a continuation of that is perhaps naive. After tussling with Cesaro, Owens seems to have set his sights on the WWE's version of a poisoned chalice, the Intercontinental Championship.
The IC belt is currently held by Ryback, who won it at the Elimination Chamber in May. Coincidentally, this was the event where Owens made his main roster debut, defeating Cena.
For years, the Intercontinental title has just kind of been 'there'. Once the hallmark of the next generation of stars, it has been reduced to basic nothingness, an obsolete strap in an unforgiving universe. Many have claimed they wanted to bring back the integrity of the championship, and many have failed. Could Kevin Owens be the man to finally do it?
Here are five reasons why Kevin Owens must win the Intercontinental title.
5. Title Match Quality Will Improve
Let's start in the ring.
In years gone by, the title was frequently held by the elite in-ring workers of the time. Whether it was Randy Savage or Ricky Steamboat in the 1980s, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin in the 1990s, or even Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit or Eddie Guerrero in the early 2000s, the Intercontinental Championship match was generally going to be an excellent one.
Ryback certainly isn't in this category.
Whilst his in-ring work isn't as awful as some like to make out, he isn't going to be carrying opponents to memorable matches any time soon. He hasn't been helped by feuding with Big Show and The Miz's mouth, but it is what it is. Kevin Owens is a Top 5 worker in WWE today, without question.
He has the ability to have outstanding matches with opponents of all shapes and sizes, and has the talent and natural timing to make IC title defences exciting again.