WWE: How Kevin Owens’ Betrayal of Kofi Kingston Exemplifies Excellent Storytelling

Kevin Owens’ heinous actions on SmackDown Live can be easily explained with logic, even if WWE may not have originally planned on turning him heel so soon.

Whether SmackDown Live got the short end of the stick in the Superstar Shake-up this year is definitely debatable, but if nothing else, the blue brand has a clear direction for the WWE Championship picture going forward, and it’s pretty great.

Kofi Kingston conquered Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 to clinch the WWE title for the first time in his career. It was one of the most memorable moments in the history of the event, but just as important as the payoff to the angle was the aftermath.

It’s safe to assume that the exciting Kingston vs. Bryan feud would have continued on SmackDown had WWE’s evil environmentalist not reportedly suffered an injury at WrestleMania. He’s been out of action ever since, leaving Kingston without a proper opponent for next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Enter Kevin Owens.

After a long layoff, Owens was brought back to WWE TV as a babyface. It was an odd call considering how he’s a natural heel, but fans were willing to give his character change a chance if it meant he’d be involved in the WWE title scene.

Unfortunately, his run as a fan favorite was botched from the get-go when he replaced Kingston as Bryan’s opponent at Fastlane. Essentially, Owens took what Kingston had already earned, yet the WWE Universe was expected to cheer the former NXT champion for his actions.

Owens made his intentions clear that by becoming WWE champion, he could provide a better life for his family, which is an admirable goal. However, Kingston just so happened to be hotter than him at the time of his comeback, spoiling his plans to vie for the gold on the grandest stage of them all.

At Fastlane, Ali was added to the Bryan vs. Owens match, making it a Triple Threat in the process. In the end, Bryan pinned Ali to retain his title, so seeing as how Owens wasn’t pinned directly, he technically had a claim to the championship as he arguably had his rightful one-on-one opportunity taken from him.

That could have led to Owens facing Bryan again at WrestleMania, but Owens was dropped from the title picture entirely shortly thereafter. Instead, he made infrequent appearances on SmackDown and hosted random editions of The Kevin Owens Show, directionless as ever.

The same night Kingston realized a dream when he won the prestigious prize, Owens sat in the back and began formulating a plan to avenge his absence on the card by manipulating the man he felt stole his WrestleMania moment.

On the April 16 SmackDown, Owens offered his services to The New Day, who were down a member due to Big E suffering an torn meniscus the week prior. Kingston and Woods were reluctant to team with him at first, but their win over Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev later in the show proved that he could be trusted (or so they thought).

During the bout, Owens acted way more over-the-top than usual, causing viewers to question what his true intentions were. Sure enough, the very next week on SmackDown, ‘The Prizefighter’ blindsided Kingston with a kick to the face and obliterated Woods with a powerbomb on the ring apron.

At long last, Owens has reclaimed the top heel spot on SmackDown, and with Big E and presumably Woods on the shelf for the foreseeable future, he’ll have a fair fight with Kingston when they do likely battle for he belt at Money in the Bank.

It’s painfully obvious that WWE doesn’t often plans things out in advance, and this angle was no exception. WWE was probably banking on Bryan getting his rematch with Kingston at Money in the Bank, but with Bryan’s status unknown at the moment, they turned to Kevin Owens as the next in line for a shot at the strap.

In other words, Kingston vs. Owens came together on a whim, but that doesn’t make the match any less special. In fact, this is a far more intriguing idea, especially with there being so much history between Owens and Kingston dating back to earlier this year.

This may not have been the match-up WWE originally envisioned happening at the event, but it could end up being the best thing on SmackDown if they can tap into Owens’ reasoning for betraying Kingston and how this has always been the endgame for him.

To their credit, WWE is making the most of a bad situation with Bryan’s having to take time off by inserting Owens in his place, and truth be told, this is the superior story worth telling right now. Besides, the Kingston vs. Bryan rivalry peaked at WrestleMania and reversing the roles with Bryan in chase just doesn’t work as well.

Kingston’s sudden rise to super stardom was completely organic and that was why it was such a success. Thus, Owens’ sudden transformation from a fun-loving face to a vindictive heel could have equally exceptional results if Owens is allowed to fully flesh out his character this time around.

Whether SmackDown will remain New Day country or soon become The Kevin Owens Show remains to be seen, but either way, things are about to get real interesting on Tuesday nights with Owens and Kingston waging war over the WWE title.