13 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 26)

9. Sneaky, Sneaky Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens Stephanie McMahon Shane McMahon
WWE

There's something weird going on with Kevin Owens at the moment, and it's making for some compelling viewing.

Those "family man" vignettes, in which the former Universal Champion was throwing gutterballs and eating pizza, came with a sinister undercurrent. KO was planting deliberate unease in the audience, ensuring those who were paying attention knew this was more than an attempt at portraying him as an everyman. This continued on SmackDown as well, as the 'Prizefighter' put up a fake 'good guy' facade in his interactions with Kofi Kingston and the McMahons, building intrigue for whatever comes next.

A post-opener segment saw KO approach Stephanie and Shane, acknowledging that he'd been put in a fortunate position. He then stated he'd like to team with Kingston against Daniel Bryan and Rowan, thanked the authoritarian duo, then left. Later, he engaged Kofi in conversation after their main event tag win.

This is good stuff. Nowhere near as on-the-nose as The Miz's soon-to-implode alliance with Shane, it breeds uncertainty without revealing everything at once, and this author looks forward to seeing how it pans out.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.