5 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 26)
Boxed In Day
Kevin Owens is a family man.
The Kevin Owens character appearing on television every week is a wicked villain, callous yet cowardly. The type of ne'er-do-well spoke of in tones both feared and disdained whenever they appear in a fairytale or children's bedtime story.
The Kevin Owens that replaces his 'KO' t-shirt for...another t-shirt when he leaves the arena is the man reading those bedtime stories. The man playing narrator and hero alike for his own children when they go to bed. When he can, anyway. And on Christmas Day, he couldn't.
There for the excitement of the morning perhaps, he was almost certainly gone before his dinner had time to settle. Off on a plane bound for Chicago, Owens had to be Owens instead of 'Dad' as SmackDown Live! went very live indeed on Boxing Day night.
The trip would surely justify the sacrifice though. He was facing WWE Champion AJ Styles in the main event. The pair hadn't once met expectations during their feud, but surely amidst the unique festive veneer and holiday veneer, a match between them would finally live up to long-held expectations?
This is WWE. Even at Christmas, don't expect miracles...