Kevin Owens has slowly built up steam throughout 2019, and he is a strong candidate to win WWE Royal Rumble 2020. And here’s why the company should make the Rumble leap with their rising babyface.
WWE fans have fallen in love with Kevin Owens as a babyface. Although he briefly went back heel to be an early rival for Kofi Kingston, Owens first showed his babyface chops in a promo back-and-forth with Daniel Bryan during WrestleMania Season. But it wasn’t until Shane McMahon’s awful run when Owens broke out as a full-fledged, Stunner-wielding, fan-favorite babyface.
Owens has caught a wave of momentum in December, and he’s ready for a marquee feud with Seth Rollins, who recently turned heel. Rollins and Owens had a great program in late 2016 when The Architect freshly turned babyface and Owens was a heel Universal Champion with Chris Jericho as his protection. But now that the roles are reversed and Rollins has the Authors of Pain in his corner, KO could be ready for the best WrestleMania Season of his career.
It could all come to a head at WWE Royal Rumble 2020, as Owens is one of the early favorites to win the match in late January. Roman Reigns is the safe pick and could have a WrestleMania main event win over Bray Wyatt on the horizon, but here are three reasons why Owens should be the one to win the Rumble.
He’s the top male babyface on Raw
Seth Rollins won the Royal Rumble last year as Raw’s top babyface before conquering The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, at WrestleMania 35. After the latest WWE Draft in 2019, Kevin Owens has established himself as the top babyface on the Red Brand.
The Stunner fits Owens so well, because he’d being portrayed as an everyman babyface in a manner similar to Stone Cold Steve Austin. He isn’t sticking it to the boss quite like Austin, but we’ve seen him go up against authority figures multiple times, specifically Shane McMahon during the boss’ son’s unwelcome power trip.
When WWE finds a talented babyface whom everyone can get behind, they have to push them hard. WWE is finally coming around to Rusev as one of these faces, but Owens is on a different level from Rusev as a performer. He’s been at the top of the food chain before as Raw’s Universal Champion, and it’s only a matter of time before he adds Royal Rumble winner to his list of accolades.
There are few better ways to entrench someone as a top babyface than to have them beat 29 other superstars in a single match that showcases guile, endurance, and all of the other traits that make someone a beloved babyface.
There are two dream feuds for him
If Kevin Owens wins WWE Royal Rumble 2020, there are two major world title feuds for him at WrestleMania 36. And either one of them would make plenty of sense for The Prizefighter.
Firstly, the former NXT Champion could take on Brock Lesnar at ‘Mania. This option is the more boring of the two, but there are so many fans who would love to see Owens join the list of superstars, which prominently includes Roman Reigns and current rival Seth Rollins, who have beaten The Beast.
Lesnar only loses at marquee Pay Per Views to top stars, and Reigns and Rollins have been the top two full-time male superstars over the last five years. Owens has quietly been in the discussion, especially since he’s showcasing his best work lately. Perhaps WWE can launch Owens into the stratosphere to start the new decade with a fiery win over Lesnar.
The other option would be Owens vs. The Fiend, who may be the most popular act on SmackDown right now. Owens and Bray Wyatt are on different brands, but if Vince McMahon doesn’t want either Owens or Lesnar to lose – or prefers to have Lesnar face a “crossover” star like Cain Velasquez or *gulps* Tyson Fury – then the brand split is irrelevant. Rules are meant to be broken in wrestling, and nobody breaks his own rules quite like Vince. (I mean, KO recently saw his former best friend whip out a “managerial license” to appear on Raw, even though “pro wrestling manager” is one of the last things that should require a license.)
Anyway, Owens hasn’t so much as touched The Fiend, and the story between them could be absolutely amazing. Wyatt “turns” everyone he feuds with, as we saw with Rollins. Will Owens be able to withstand Wyatt’s mindgames and remain in touch with himself? How will his bad-ass attitude and core values hold up?
Megastar-making moment
Royal Rumble victories aren’t supposed to make stars. No, stars are made on the other 364 days of the year, in those backstage segments, random television matches, and, hopefully, the moments where a superstar seizes an opportunity with the spotlight fully on them.
In Kevin Owens’ case, he is already a star in WWE and has been at this level since his Raw debut when he defeated John Cena in a champion vs. champion match. Owens has held the Universal Title, the NXT Title, the United States Championship three times, and the Intercontinental Championship twice.
But despite all of Owens’ accomplishments, he’s still a notch below the true superstars like Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and Seth Rollins. He’s in “star” territory, but he’s in a crowded field of wrestlers who haven’t quite been given the moment to reach that next level.
Last year, WWE used the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 35 to make two Raw wrestlers, Rollins and Lynch, true top stars in their company. In 2020, look for them to do the same, and Owens and Sasha Banks will likely be the Rumble winners who are vaulted to superstardom at WrestleMania 36.
This is WWE’s chance to have Owens be the relatable, everyman babyface who rose to the top and broke a different kind of mold. Remember, even fellow former ROH star – turned top WWE star – Seth Rollins thought KO would never get a chance in WWE because of his “look” (meaning his “weight” here).
Not only has Owens proven Rollins and so many others wrong, but he’s on the verge of being at the very top of the company’s Men’s Divisions in 2020.