Why Kevin Owens is the Best Heel in WWE

Kevin Owens isn’t the heel we deserve; he’s the heel we need.

In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of retribution. She was the personification of vengeance against those who went unpunished for their crimes or who had an unfair amount of good fortune which must have sucked if you were a rabbit foot vendor or just really lucky. This word is commonly used in one way or another to describe a specific opponent that our hero cannot ultimately defeat or overcome and thus they continue to battle again and again. If you’re a comic book fan, think Lex Luthor, the Joker, etc.

So what makes a great nemesis? Before anything else, there has to be believability. The villain has to be a real threat to our hero or nothing they say or do will mean anything. We have to know that at any time, this person can back up their threats with legitimate action using either brains or brawn. Sure, these actions may be insidious, dirty, and underhanded but they act nonetheless. Second, they have to win, at least sometimes. A heel who constantly loses is either a jobber or The Condiment King.

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When Kevin Owens arrived in WWE and not only challenged but defeated John Cena, it was a refreshing introduction for a man who would one day assume the mantle of top heel. It was a lesson in how talent should be treated when the decision is made to promote them from NXT to the main roster. That’s not to say that every newcomer deserves a win over a top draw, but it showed a confidence and long-term commitment to the character who could use this win as a springboard. Owens not only received a fair amount of exposure and freedom on the mic, but he wasn’t engulfed by the Cena supernova either. He was shown respect and his win was not only surprising, but automatically gave his character the legitimacy he would need to have a successful feud against the face of the company.

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The reaction he elicits from fans is the perfect vision of heat. Like great heels of the past such as Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero, Owens is undoubtedly the bad guy and yet he’s getting cheered because fans respect his work ethic. In his three matches alone with Cena he cemented himself as a top draw in the WWE with a bright future as the consummate nemesis for many superstars. The fact that he doesn’t have the “look” of your average WWE superstar just adds to his mystique as with each match he has a seemingly unlimited amount of fuel in that big belly.

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Some of us saw the writing on the wall and were even bold enough to predict Owens’ dominance in 2016. One particularly prophetic soothsayer here at Daily DDT made the following statement at the start of the year:

“Kevin Owens will be the top heel in WWE. In some respects, this has already come to pass. Seth Rollins is sidelined until well after WrestleMania in April so the WWE will need a new bad guy to shamelessly represent The Authority like a rabid dog. The Sheamus experiment crashed and burned worse than the second season of True Detective and Owens has proven himself as the guy who can get under your skin and back it up with solid in-ring performances. “

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That guy deserves a raise.