WWE Raw: Kevin Owens’s Heel Work Stands Out Again

Kevin Owens has been absolutely nailing his heel act on WWE Raw over the past few weeks. Here is a look at everything the Prizefighter has been doing right.

One may or may not have been a fan of this week’s opening segment from WWE Raw. The men and women who will be competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match stood up on different ladders and sort of argued over who was going to win. Of all the men, Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman stood out as the men who delivered the most memorable lines. Alexa Bliss did the same for the women.

There is something common about all three of them and that is mastery over their character work. Even among those three, Kevin Owens has done some deep level detailing into his character. He has crafted perhaps the best heel persona on the entire Raw roster perhaps. It might even be the best in today’s WWE.

Everything he did this week was perfect. It all added up to showcase his heel ways and cunning nature. The little things he adds to the act make it so much more entertaining. For example, the manner in which Owens was the only one to take Constable Corbin as a relevant authority figure during the entire angle, after sensing Corbin is indeed linked to Stephanie was brilliant. The hilarious accusations he makes are something else altogether.

The way he brought up Strowman’s height and accused him of having an advantage going to the match and Kurt Angle for showing favoritism was a brilliant bit of character work. Owens is the whiny complaining heel who will go to any length and argument to stick to his point. He has been doing that time and again on WWE Raw.

Then, later in the night when he switched colors like a chameleon to make a peace-offering to Finn Balor, we witnessed another side of his heel persona. The Prizefighter showed us how he can plan for the long term and set aside his differences with Balor for the short-term. The proverbial peace-offering was hilarious by the way. Olives because Balor likes low-calorie stuff? You make me laugh out loud mate.

The way he stirred up Bobby Roode to join his alliance, bringing up how embarrassingly Roode lost to Strowman the week before showed how crafty he is with his words. Then finally, when the right moment came, Owens was there to snatch the opportunity. However, he made only a tiny mistake; anger the Monster Among Men. But then again, that is exactly what a heel is supposed to do.

Even in this age of ‘cool heels’ at the end of the day, a heel is supposed to leave that extra space in his brilliant plan, a plot-hole if you may call it, to ensure that the babyface comes out on top at the end of it all. No man has perfected that act better than Kevin Owens. It doesn’t matter how many times he has been asked to put the babyface over, he will come up with innovative ways to get himself over in the process as well.

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That is what sets him apart from the other heels of this era. That is what makes him an elite level heel, who might be challenged only by the Miz in terms of how well the heel act is maintained. But that’s a discussion for another day. When Monday night came to a close, Owens once again made his case as to why he is the best heel there is. Let’s now look forward to Tuesday to see what the Miz brings out. What are your thoughts? Do let us know in the comments section.