7 Mistakes WWE Have Made With Kevin Owens As Universal Champion

Wins and losses aside, the most disappointing aspect of Kevin Owens’ Universal Title reign has to be the way they’ve handled his character. Once one of the most compelling heels in the company, KO has become a whiny, snivelling coward: the polar opposite of what attracted fans to him in the first place.

Owens’ “Prizefighter” gimmick was outstanding, and he was a breath of fresh air while feuding with John Cena. Here was a brutal, despicable heel whose actions were beyond reproach, but driven by an infinitely relatable motive. KO’s logic was skewed, but when he spoke about doing it for his family, it almost made you sympathise with him. That was The Prizefighter’s genius: you wanted to root for him, but his actions were so loathsome that you felt bad for doing so.

This has since been completely eradicated. Jericho and Owens are money on the microphone, and they’re the funniest thing in WWE at the moment, but they’re little more than a couple of goofballs. Owens has gone from the most dangerous guy on the roster not named “Brock Lesnar” to a textbook WWE wimp heel champion, and that’s a massive shame.

Perhaps WWE will return to this character when the best friends inevitably explode, but this whole reign would have been infinitely more palatable had the company not neutered Owens. A total waste of one of the strongest heels they’ve had in years.