10 Things You Miss About NXT Wrestlers On WWE's Main Roster
4. Kevin Owens' Mean Streak
Kevin Owens committed the ultimate heel act at TakeOver: R Evolution. On a night when Sami Zayn, his supposed best friend, finally achieved his long-held goal of becoming NXT Champion, the debuting KO congratulated him with a powerbomb on the ring apron. The immense pop he'd received prior to his match with CJ Parker turned into bile and hatred, and the WWE chapter of their years-long feud had officially began.
This act sums up Owens' original WWE character perfectly. He was a brutish, take-no-prisoners scrapper who'd do whatever it took to get to the top, even if that meant stepping on those he was closest to. Owens was both a violent menace and a Machiavellian schemer. It was brilliant, and it turned him into one of the most compelling characters in the sport.
Things aren't quite the same in 2017. KO is still great, but he has become a generic WWE heel, defined by cowardice and vulnerability above all else. Much of the damage was done during his horrific Universal Title run, but it continues today, and 'The Prizefighter' of old is dead and buried.
Owens is still one of SD's most enjoyable personalities, but the beast has been neutered. His razor sharp wit aside, there's little differentiating him from any other basic heel in the company now, which is hugely disappointing.