Kevin Owens: Anatomy of a Superstar

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Independent Wrestling Background

More and more often in these years, WWE has looked towards the independent scene in order to recruit new talent. It is a proving ground, much like the territories of old, where wrestlers have to sink or swim to get noticed by the big names. Companies like Ring of Honor, NJPW, Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and beyond contain a blend of experienced hands and young upstarts that will test any individual. And not only did Kevin Owens survive this testing environment, he thrived and made it his house.

Under his real name Kevin Steen, he began wrestling at the age of only 16. He bounced around Combat Zone Wrestling and PWG in his early years, allowing him to hone his craft alongside some other extremely talented youngsters (many of whom are now NXT cohorts) and veterans. But his spiritual home and the place where he cemented his name among the hardcore wrestling crowd was in Ring of Honor. His early days were predominantly a learning experience, teaming with El Generico to help both climb the ranks. Battles with the Briscoes, Nigel McGuinness and the American Wolves strengthened his reputation, and a heated feud with Generico garnered critical acclaim as Wrestling Observer Feud of the Year for 2010.

It was his second stint in the company that really allowed Steen to break the mold and become Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare. He excelled on the microphone and stood against an Authority and structure he felt was determined to keep him down. Steen was more rotund but rugged, and this definitely did not damage any of his in-ring ability. He cemented himself as the top dog by capturing the ROH World Championship and leading his own stable, S.C.U.M. Steen was the focal point of the entire company, and by the time he lost the belt and left it in 2014, his named had been etched into ROH’s folklore.

The education and training Owens received in every independent promotion and different country he competed in allowed him to hone his craft and master a variety of styles. But just learning in these environments wasn’t enough: Owens took over and made these his platform to stardom, like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins also did on their road to superstardom. The indies established him as a wrestling favorite, and provided the foundations for hitting the ground running in WWE.