10 Reasons To Be Cheerful About WWE In 2017
8. Face Of America
Having concluded his critically acclaimed series with Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens should have a relatively smooth trajectory in his capacity as SmackDown Live!'s top heel and self-proclaimed 'Face of America'.
The gimmick is an inspired twist on the 2015 John Cena U.S Open Challenge that nurtured 'KO's memorable arrival on the main roster, when 'The Champ' offered weekly title shots to all comers and ultimately fell foul of the vicious newcomer to build to a trio of choice pay-per-view matches.
Owens has subverted the persona, replacing Cena's gutsy competitiveness with spineless grandiose bravado. Tweaking his look with a cleaner-shaven sneer and Old Glory-inspired gear, the 'Prize Fighter' instead flaunts his greatness over American crowds as a proud Montreal native, backing down from real opposition in order to take gift-wrapped victories over the town's local scrub.
With a massive projection of his cocky profile adorning the TitanTron as he enters, the character irrefutably belongs in main events, and the entire presentation has already elevated the United States Title beyond the WWE Championship on a blue brand troubled by Wyatt silliness and the divisive rise of Jinder Mahal.
Such is the active stature of all involved, his upcoming Backlash pay-per-view encounter with AJ Styles should and could be the show-closing contest, and current form suggests the two will comfortably take match-of-the-night honours.