15 Greatest Angles In Modern Wrestling History

7. The Debut Presentation Of Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens Sami Zayn
wwe.com

Triple H's NXT was incredible at its feel-good best, but go back and watch the week-to-week episodic TV. The wrestling was great (mostly). The character arcs in totality were very effective. The spark, the energy, the promos and angles weren't really there. It was a basic, functional show that reached - eventually - euphoric crescendos. The exception was the stunning introduction of the Kevin Owens character.

His debut was built ahead of time as a massive deal. Owens had finally made it. A buzz-worthy name from the indie circuit, he was always going to be received as a babyface by the ultra hardcore fans who both respected him and enjoyed flexing their knowledge. WWE baited the Full Sail fans by presenting him as such. Owens was the killer with purpose; he needed to secure his young family's future. After defeating Juice Robinson at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, Owens celebrated Sami Zayn's NXT title win over Adrian Neville later that night. The hug, the tears, the very real emotion siphoned into the work: this was amazing, and not just because WWE had acknowledged a story that unfolded beyond its canon. It's tempting to put this over as merely "refreshing", but the level of performance was world-class. 

Owens didn't just turn by smashing Zayn against the apron with a power bomb; by ruining his closest friend's career triumph, he revealed himself to be the worst person in the industry. Just a remorseless, ugly, self-obsessed piece of total sh*t.

Or, a fantastic heel.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!