10 WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 Impulse Reactions

9. The Kevin Owens (Pre)Show

Becky Lynch
WWE

Kevin Owens wasn't the only unexpected face to rock up on the Elimination Chamber Kickoff, but his grinning fizzog was the most welcome amongst w*nky pre-show predictions from Alexa Bliss and Mark Henry, as well as a nothing segment between Charlotte Flair and The Riott Squad.

Owens again spoke with reverence for his family time whilst teasing an in-ring return, but some pineapple-on-pizza patter was yet another knowing nod from the performer to the fanbase about the odd new everyman gimmick he appears to have embraced.

"Man goes bowling and eats pizza" is the sort of on-the-nose observation Vince McMahon would probably make about most of his consumers (as well as half of his talent) so it should come as no shock that a former 'Prizefighter' has been reduced to something substantially below the 'Superstar' tag the former Universal Champion briefly wore well.

Owens is sure to receive a huge return pop upon his actual comeback, so there's nothing inherently wrong in trying to make him relatable now - even if the sinister air about the segments isn't entirely by accident.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett