Let’s jump in the Delorean & take a journey back in time with this PWP Throwback article written by Eron Ramadanov on July 20, 2015 about Kevin Owens becoming “Just Another Guy.” Is that what he is at this point?
We thought he was different.
Going into WWE Battleground, fans all over the world were convinced that Kevin Owens would do the unthinkable and defeat John Cena, to become the new WWE United States Champion. But of course, that didn’t happen.
Before I continue, I want to say that I’m not one of those people that is a “John Cena hater”. I rarely say anything ill toward Cena, and I’ve defended him for years, as I believe he is one of the greatest of all time and should be respected for his insane dedication to the business and love for professional wrestling…
BUT… not this time.
Following the great match between Cena and Owens at WWE Battleground, I realized one thing: Kevin Owens has joined the long list of guys that has tried to dethrone the great John Cena, but ultimately failed. Owens is just another guy.
When Kevin Owens made his debut on the main roster, I was a bit scared to pair him against John Cena, but following the segment on that night, the lasting image of Owens standing tall over John Cena, had me convinced that he was different. That WWE was going to give Kevin Owens the ultimate rub of being the one to beat John Cena for the United States Championship.
As the feud progressed, Owens and Cena was set for Elimination Chamber, which was Owens’ WWE in-ring debut… and he beat John Cena. Not only did he pin Cena, but he did it CLEAN! Let me explain how huge that truly is.
Since 2005, here are the only times John Cena has been beaten clean, without inference or shenanigans:
- Shawn Michaels, RAW, April 23, 2007
- Great Khali, Saturday Night’s Main Event, June 2, 2007
- Triple H, Night of Champions 2008
- Batista, Summerslam 2008
- Big Show, RAW, March 30, 2009
- Randy Orton, Hell in a Cell 2009
- The Rock, Wrestlemania 28
- Daniel Bryan, Summerslam 2013
- Brock Lesnar, Summerslam 2014
Before losing to Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber, Cena has only been beaten cleanly 9 times in 10 years. That is almost once a year… ALMOST.
So when we saw that Kevin Owens beat John Cena clean, we thought that maybe Owens was getting some kind of mega-push that we’ve never seen before. After WWE Elimination Chamber, Kevin Owens bragged and boasted that he beat the great John Cena all by himself. Fast forward to WWE Money In The Bank, John Cena vs. Kevin Owens II saw another great match, but this time, John Cena defeated Kevin Owens.
So, the stage was set for a rubber match between these two guys, but this time for the WWE United States Championship. Going in, as I said above, many were convinced that Owens would go over and win the US Title. But instead, John Cena pinned Owens, 1-2-3… clean.
The internet reaction has been mixed, but for the most part, this time, people are a little less upset. I wondered why people weren’t as upset as I was. I realized that people have gotten used to this. For years, we’ve seen talent get placed into a feud with John Cena, and come out looking worse. Some of it is definable and you can make a case for, but Owens is in a spot where he might not be able to climb out of.
I’m not saying that this loss to Cena will doom Owens’ career, but I think if this is the end to the Cena/Owens feud, Owens doesn’t look any better than when he came in; if anything, looks worse.
Think about this: John Cena’s rap throughout this entire feud was that Owens beating Cena at Elimination Chamber was a “fluck”, and that Owens has to prove that he can do it again. Cena talked about how Owens needs to back up what he’s saying, by his actions. In the end, Owens has lost twice to Cena… in a row. So in reality, Owens looks like “just another guy” that is all bark and no bite.
And the more I think about it, I think I have more of a problem with HOW Owens lost, more than Owens losing. For Owens to tap out is demoralizing. It makes me, as a die-hard fan of his, feel cheated. It adds to my concerns for the future, when I look to get invested in talent like Owens, who I feel passionate for. For Owens to go through hell with Cena, in their third and maybe final match, and for him to just quit and tap out, makes absolutely no sense.
There are so many other ways to protect Owens in that situation. Why not have him pass out in the STF? Why does he have to tap out? That is NOT how you protect your young talent. That’s how you hurt them.
Obviously, Cena isn’t the one that books this stuff. The blame mostly falls on Vince McMahon (seems like everyone is blaming Vince a lot for things lately… and rightfully so). But at the same time, John Cena has a lot of influence backstage, and if he wanted something to happen, he could make it happen, which is why I’m surprised that he didn’t fight to protect Owens. I mean, maybe he did and lost… I don’t know. But I’d like to think that if Cena said something to Vince, Vince would listen. Not only am I surprised in Cena, but where the hell is Triple H? I understand that McMahon gets the final say, but I’m shocked with Triple H and John Cena’s input, that this finish ended up happening.
It just blows my mind.
But there is still hope for this feud between Cena & Owens, and maybe I’m going a bit too far, before it’s even over. If WWE decides to go with Owens & Cena one more time at SummerSlam, with a stipulation, where Owens ends up beating Cena clean, then this article is all for nothing, and they’ve saved Owens and this feud. But I still believe that Owens winning at WWE Battleground (cleanly) would have been a huge boost for Owens, and put him in a elite class of his own, that has beaten John Cena clean… TWICE. If WWE decides to move on from this feud, and place Owens in a bigger feud, maybe even the World Title picture, then I’d be okay with that as well.
Kevin Owens is a special kind of talent, that can be a pioneer for the future brand of WWE. He has everything it takes to be at the top of WWE, and I really hope that WWE realizes that before it’s too late.
Thanks for reading, everyone! What do you think?
I completely agree with this article. If Vince & Co were just going to have Cena defeat Owens in their last 2 out of 3 matches, then what did they actually accomplish by having Owens win in the first match? Not only was I upset that Kevin lost the 3rd match, but, as the author stated, he tapped. I was disgusted with Vinny Mac. And since that match, a lot of things Owens does in the ring that make him so special have disappeared. His moveset has been reduced to almost being generic. It’s just sickening. He showed how varied and amazing his talent is during those 3 matches with Cena. I guess we’ll have to hold on to those memories.