Caden Moran discusses how The WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens has been overshadowed in his few months as champion
When it comes to being a champion, most of the time you are thought of the top guy but when it comes to the WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, that just isn’t the case.
Kevin Owens is without a doubt one of the best wrestlers WWE has to offer and he deserves every minute of a world title reign but since he won the red strap with the help of Triple H, his run with the title has been disappointing to say the least and it has everything to due with Owens being forced to take a backseat to guys like Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and hell, even a list.
Triple H, John Cena, The Rock. These are all former WWE Champions that have been showed and displayed as the top guy in WWE while holding the belt and these are perfect examples of how a champion should be showed to the fans. Kevin Owens has been booked as the total opposite from how a champion should be booked and the number one reason is due to him taking a backseat to the other “top guy” in WWE, Roman Reigns.
Don’t get me wrong…I am a huge fan of Roman Reigns but even I’m getting sick of him being portrayed as the top guy in WWE just because the boss loves him and his look. Vince McMahon sees Reigns as the next face of the WWE. Reigns is always near the main event scene even though a fair majority of the fans show their disapproval.
What does Vince and Roman have to do with Kevin Owens and his title reign?
Well it was rumored that Vince McMahon used to “hate” Kevin Owens and his “look” after he debuted in NXT, which is never a good sign and the fact that Owens was even given an opportunity is amazing (though I’m sure Triple H had a fair say in it).
Kevin deserves so much more as the WWE Universal Champion and if you still don’t believe me about him taking a backseat to Reigns, let me take you back to the road to Survivor Series. The road to the Smackdown vs. RAW event was what you assumed it would be. A team full of enemies trying to get along with each other and failing. Owens was assigned as team captain alongside his best friend Chris Jericho (we’ll get to him later) but throughout the entire buildup to the Pay-Per View, Owens looked like nothing more than just another member of a team while the two guys named Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins were shown as the most important of the team and that is what I despise the most about this situation.
Rollins and Reigns are great but they have had their time in the spotlight for many years. It is time to finally move on from this The Shield fiasco and let someone else, Kevin Owens, have their time in the spotlight as the top guy.
Do I blame Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns? No.
I understand that they are two huge names in the company and many people look up to them but the fact that they were shown and displayed as the two most important members of Team RAW while Owens was shown as just another member makes me sick. Kevin is the WWE Universal Champion, and might I add they need to work on building that championship up considering it is brand new but instead they are putting a list….let me say that again, a LIST, in front of one of the main titles in the company. That is just utterly pathetic.
The biggest point that I will make in this article has nothing to with with another person but has everything to do with an inanimate object and that is the List of Jericho. I love Chris Jericho and he has managed to get over some of the stupidest things with the fans and none bigger than the List of Jericho. The list was a brilliant and organically made creation but if you haven’t realized by now, the WWE has a tendency to go a little overboard with things the fans love and the List of Jericho is just another thing they have “WWE-ised”. As much as I love Jericho and as much as I used to love the list, I can’t deny the fact that the List of Jericho is the biggest shadow being cast over Kevin Owens and his WWE Universal Championship.
Throughout the entirety of the Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens feud, the List of Jericho always seemed like the main focus of the rivalry and never felt like it was for the Universal title and why?
Why was a list the main focus in a rivalry? For one, Chris Jericho was way too involved in the rivalry and I mean WAY TOO INVOLVED. He would ruin matches and involve himself in Owens’ segments while also involving, yes you guessed it, the list. Maybe it isn’t so much of the list itself being the biggest shadow but maybe it is Jericho himself. Whether it is the list or Jericho himself, Kevin needs to distance himself from partners and go solo like what he is made for. Distance Owens from any partnership and have him go on an unstoppable heel run and really show to the world that Kevin is indeed the top guy on RAW. No backseats. No lists. Just destruction.
I do believe the WWE can redeem themselves for letting one of their top guys fall behind if they can follow my solution of distancing him from any partnerships and just letting him be the destructive heel he was in NXT but hey, a guy can dream right?