WWE Raw: What’s next for Kevin Owens after loss to Randy Orton?
Randy Orton wrote off Ric Flair to close WWE Raw, but what will happen to Kevin Owens?
It seems like a whole century has passed since Kevin Owens picked up his first win at WrestleMania, defeating Seth Rollins at the Show of Shows to close one of WWE Raw‘s most heated rivalries. It was KO who helped Rollins find his footing as the Monday Night Messiah, calling out Rollins for his manipulative behavior after Team Raw’s loss at Survivor Series, serving as the perfect babyface foil for Rollins’ heel turn.
Owens is an excellent babyface. The Stunner suits him perfectly. He can cut some of the best promos in this business and lend his talent to help others, including last week on WWE Raw when he helped Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott reunite and start a feud with the IIconics.
On that same episode, Owens encountered Ric Flair backstage and wasn’t interested in taking Flair’s advice to look out for himself and go back to being the hurtful person he was in the past. It ended up with Owens calling out Randy Orton for a match on the Aug. 10 episode of Raw.
As you’d expect, Owens came up on the losing end. He fought well, but he had no chance against the Viper, who has been WWE’s most intimidating male star in 2020. Orton seems to be on a path to winning the WWE Title at SummerSlam against Drew McIntyre.
Kevin Owens has been helping everyone else on WWE Raw
Orton’s attack on Ric Flair after the match gained the most headlines, as he wrote the former Evolution leader off television. But I’m more interested in what the future holds for Owens.
It seems like WWE are doing a great job of using Owens to boost others, but there’s an interesting story here where it’s Owens helping others at the expense of his own opportunities. Is this the path that will lead to success for KO? And if not, is Owens OK with that? Is he ready to take a backseat from title pictures and individual success for the better of the show? Is Owens really the one fighting for the Greater Good of WWE Raw, whereas Seth Rollins is using that tagline as a means to boost himself?
That may be the story here. But I keep thinking back to Orton vs. Owens and the courage Owens showed in calling him out the previous week, probably knowing he would lose. Owens and Orton haven’t interacted much before that match, and while McIntyre should ultimately be the one to hold the title again if he does lose it to Orton, I can’t help but feel that Owens and Orton will have their own title feud.
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Keep an eye on Kevin Owens. He may seem like an afterthought in the title picture on Raw, but he’s always hanging around the main event scene due to his talent. Either he’ll keep boosting others in this unselfish role, or he’ll suddenly emerge and win his first title as a babyface, bringing things full circle by finally doing things the right way.