5. Both Are Naturally Anti-Authoritarian Characters
As mentioned, both men became huge figures within ROH's sphere of influence, and their respective rises had one common theme. Both were heels set firmly against the ROH establishment. Punk made no secret of his impending release to work with the WWE, completely selling out in hilarious fashion (walking to the ring in suits, and even signing his WWE contract on the ROH title itself). Owens - then known as Kevin Steen - was portrayed as a deranged maniac out for revenge after his banishment from the company. Steen would show up in the crowd unannounced, with no entrance music or fanfare, and cause mayhem. The angle was given further believability when his name was conspicuously changed to "XXXX" throughout the ROH archive of prior cards, and authority figure Jim Cornette appeared genuinely incensed by his actions. This rebellious streak has shown hints of resurfacing in Owens' recent WWE rise, especially his controversial stomping of the US Championship.
