WWE: Kevin Owens needs a push into the title picture

It’s no secret, I’m a huge fan of Kevin Owens, and judging on the pop he received during last night’s WWE RAW, I’m probably not alone.

Kevin Owens is one the finest talkers on the mic the WWE has on any of their current main rosters; he knows how to sell a storyline; he knows how to sell his competitors during a match; and his agility, considering his size, still blows me away (that Swanton Bomb, last night though).

He’s one of the very few talents that can play both heel and face full tilt, and either have the crowd booing him to no end, or applauding his efforts like he’s the chosen one.

There seemed to a be a turn of sorts in regard to Kevin’s position within the main roster this past summer. He finally turned face, something many fans had been waiting to see for a while now, and among one of the highlights during SmackDown Live prior to their Fox transition this past fall was (for me, at least) KO vs. Shane McMahon.

Yes, it was an interesting feud to say the least, mostly thanks to Owen’s pipebomb promo in July, and the overall “Average Joe” vs. “spoiled little rich kid” angle on the story.

Alas, with a flurry of activity in the WWE as of late – SmackDown moving to Fox, the WWE Draft, Crown Jewel build-up, and most importantly,  a loss in his family , where Owens had a leave of absence recently from WWE – KO hasn’t been featured prominently on television, until his return last night. After seeing his match and the reaction from fans, I was reminded (and inspired) to once again wonder (and write about) why he should be in the title race picture.

On the one hand, KO has accomplished a lot within his short time in the WWE and therefore, other Superstars do deserve a rotation of sorts when it comes to the proverbial spotlight in the main event and title race scene. While a veteran of the indies circuit, Owens’ whipped through NXT after his November 2014 debut, scoring the brand’s championship during his time there, and landed on the main roster months later in 2015.

In the four years since, he’s accomplished a lot: scoring a clean win over John Cena (during a time when this was unheard of), he’s been Universal Champion, Intercontinental Champion twice, and held the United States title three times. Not too shabby.

Having said that, there are three key things he has yet to do with the company, and that’s hold the WWE Championship, win a Royal Rumble, and main event WrestleMania; all accolades that this Superstar deserves to achieve.

He not only deserve that for the hard work he puts into his matches, the undeniable passion he has for this business, or even for the proof that he truly gives it his all every time he’s in a storyline, on the mic, or in that ring. It’s because he is a Superstar the crowd can and will get behind. He’s got that “it” factor when it comes to building up a match. He unfortunately hasn’t had the opportunity to showcase the best of his ability as of late that he hasn’t really had the chance (or airtime) to do so as of late.

Brock Lesnar is once again WWE Champion. For whatever reason, the powers that be have decided to place that high-tier title around his waist once again. While he’s in a Survivor Series program with Rey Mysterio, the likelihood of Rey-Rey becoming a four-time WWE champ does not seem probable at this time. With KO teasing a Stone-Cold-esque persona as a babyface, Stunner and all, he just may be the perfect candidate to go toe-to-toe with Lesnar at this point and dethrone him. After all, WrestleMania season is literally around the corner and, let’s face it, there may not be a better candidate than KO to do the job.

Seeing Roman Reigns defeat Brock again at WrestleMania 36 would be anticlimactic – the WWE Universe has seen that and their storyline came to a close at SummerSlam 2018.

Same goes for Seth Rollins (been there, done that). But an everyday Joe like Owens challenging Brock (and potentially winning), well, that could be special. Especially when one thinks about the potential banter between Paul Heyman and KO leading up to the match.

It could shape up to be a classic David and Goliath Mania worthy match-up, with a “happily ever after” finish in an Owens’ win to close out the show, leaving fans feeling happy and content at 1 a.m. the early morning of Monday April 6th, as they head to bed.

All KO needs is a little push into the title picture and that time is now.