WWE: Is Kevin Owens’ Stunner A Sign Of What’s To Come?

After taking Kofi Kingston’s shot at the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens teamed with Kingston to beat Daniel Bryan and Rowan. Is his use of the Stone Cold Stunner to win the match a sign of things to come for Owens?

Throughout history, anti-heroes have oftentimes been some of the most beloved characters in WWE.

From CM Punk and his pipe bombs to Stone Cold Steve Austin and his frequent creative attacks on WWE management, anti-heroes tend to be some of the characters we most associate with the glory days of pro wrestling.

Unfortunately, it’s also a role that is typically reserved only for superstars with immense talent. No matter how popular those so-called “tweener” characters usually are, great anti-heroes like the Eddie Guerrero’s and Becky Lynch’s of the wrestling world tend to be far harder to find than the average clean-cut babyface types or dastardly heels.

Several years ago though, WWE found one of those rare and talented superstars in Kevin Owens.

During his time in Ring Of Honor as Kevin Steen, Owens proved beyond a doubt that he could be one of the best anti-heroes in pro wrestling. His epic feud with ROH management in many ways rivaled those managerial feuds of lore that CM Punk and Steve Austin carried out against the McMahon’s.

Later on, Owens’ eventual formation of S.C.U.M., a stable bent on taking over ROH, was also incredibly reminiscent of other historically popular “tweener” angles. Specifically, S.C.U.M. easily became comparable to the iconic NWO stable that carried WCW’s popularity to new heights through its blending of nefarious tactics and larger-than-life personalities in the 90’s.

However, despite that history of being one of wrestling’s best anti-heroes, Owens has scarcely had a full-fledged opportunity to play that role in WWE.

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Throughout most of his time in WWE, Owens has played the part of cowardly heel. He’s spent far more times running from confrontation in WWE than he ever did in his ROH days.

Even when he’s been given potential opportunities to return to the kinds of characterization that made him one of the company’s most exciting signings all those years ago, he’s been stifled.

His partnership with Chris Jericho, for example, oftentimes leaned towards that gray area of conventional heel tactics combined with near universal fan support, yet it was usually heavily implied that Owens’ was only using Jericho to advance his own interests.

The inevitability of their breakup did eventually result in one of the best segments in recent WWE history with the “Festival of Friendship”, but it also led to the feeling that Owens would quickly retake the role of spineless villain once his angle with Jericho reached its climax.

While Owens was eventually able to bring out a more intense side after the angle with Jericho, that feeling was ultimately more or less proven to be warranted too.

As a result, a sustained push in that “tweener” role which he excelled at in ROH has continually alluded Owens in WWE.

However, there’s now reason to believe that might soon change.

As small of a detail as it may be, Owens gave us all a reason to believe he might be heading back to his character’s roots after his surprising return on SmackDown Live:

Owens closed his first match back by busting out the classic Stone Cold Stunner to defeat Daniel Bryan on SmackDown.

While a change in finisher may not seem like much, combined with Owens demeanor throughout the show, it could be a telltale sign that Owens may finally be embracing the role of anti-hero once again.

Even though Owens took Kofi Kingston’s title match, he did so without the usual devious smile that would come with a heel getting one over on the unsuspecting babyface. Instead, he sat stone-faced across from Daniel Bryan before their contract signing.

Shortly after, Owens advocated to actually partner with Kingston against Bryan and his new bodyguard, Rowan to both Stephanie and Shane McMahon.

While not an outright endorsement of Kingston, it felt like the kind of move that would be odd coming from a cowardly heel who feared confrontation and resented anyone who rivaled his talent.

Those subtle changes, combined with the Stone Cold approved usage of the stunner to win the tag match, might just be a sign that we’re finally about to see the best version of Kevin Owens in WWE.