10 Wrestlers Who Gained Nothing From Becoming World Champion
4. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens held the WWE Universal Championship for over six months, but there’s a strong chance he’d never have won the belt, if it weren’t for Finn Bálor’s injury. The Irishman’s shoulder problems opened the door for KO to seize the belt eight days after SummerSlam ‘16, and an entirely destructive reign followed.
Owens won the belt through Triple H’s double-cross of Seth Rollins, which set the tone for the rest of his run. Much of the ‘Prizefighter’ persona that made him successful in the first place was stripped away, and KO became a textbook cowardly heel. He only ever seemed to win through interference and distractions, completely diminishing his credibility as a wrestler, and destroying the image of Owens as a tough, uncompromising brawler.
If it weren’t for his outstanding segments with Chris Jericho during this time, Owens’ reign would have been a total bust. It devoured his star power, with the 22-second loss to Goldberg standing as an exclamation point.
Becoming Universal Champion turned KO into a meek coward, and while he has looked stronger since winning Chris Jericho’s US Title, there’s still a lot of work to be done before his rebuild can be deemed successful.