Fantasy Booking
NXT's Kevin Owens' Debut
Photo courtesy of sescoops.com
December 8, 2014
Kevin Owens, formerly Kevin Steen, is set to make his debut at NXT's "R Evolution" this Thursday and is willing to "fight anyone and everyone," no matter what. With Owens rounding out the trio of incredible independent signings this past year (KENTA, Prince Devitt), he is the latest to make his impact on the NXT Universe. His diverse move set and impeccable mic skills make him a hot commodity and arguably the biggest star out of the three and the one who could make a quicker rise to the main roster due to his experience and better grasp on the English language compared to Hideo Itami and Finn Balor.
Owens has had his history with several of NXT's biggest stars, especially the two main eventing the show Thursday for the NXT Championship, Adrian Neville (PAC) and Sami Zayn (El Generico). If WWE were to capitalize on any of these past rivalries, it would surely please the Internet crowd, myself included.
With Itami and Balor thrown into pretty prominent roles within their first few months on television, one can assume the same for Owens. It may be selfish of me to say that I hope he has a bigger role, but is that not the point of fantasy booking?
Kevin Owens, formerly Kevin Steen, is set to make his debut at NXT's "R Evolution" this Thursday and is willing to "fight anyone and everyone," no matter what. With Owens rounding out the trio of incredible independent signings this past year (KENTA, Prince Devitt), he is the latest to make his impact on the NXT Universe. His diverse move set and impeccable mic skills make him a hot commodity and arguably the biggest star out of the three and the one who could make a quicker rise to the main roster due to his experience and better grasp on the English language compared to Hideo Itami and Finn Balor.
Owens has had his history with several of NXT's biggest stars, especially the two main eventing the show Thursday for the NXT Championship, Adrian Neville (PAC) and Sami Zayn (El Generico). If WWE were to capitalize on any of these past rivalries, it would surely please the Internet crowd, myself included.
With Itami and Balor thrown into pretty prominent roles within their first few months on television, one can assume the same for Owens. It may be selfish of me to say that I hope he has a bigger role, but is that not the point of fantasy booking?
The Pitch
It is safe to say that when Owens debuts, he will not lose, let's get that out of the way. There is really no point in having him lose in his first match after a pretty solid build-up of promos, including his most recent promo, "They Called Him First..."
Photo courtesy of sescoops.com
I do not expect Owens to dominate in his debut match however, like Bull Dempsey or Baron Corbin do in their 15-30 second squash matches. Owens is a veteran guy who is so skilled in terms of mat wrestling, brawling, and even high flying (seriously, dude can do a 450 Splash). While it is near impossible we are going to see his 450 Splash and surely impossible that we will see his patented Package Piledriver, Owens will wow the NXT audience with his array of offense.
Who will be his opponent? That is up in the air obviously, but the likes of a CJ Parker or Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan are names that come to mind right off the bat. They are talented performers who can put on serviceable matches and allow Owens to look solid in the ring. Or does he take on WWE Main Roster players like a Justin Gabriel or Tyson Kidd? How about Tyler Breeze? While who he faces remains to be determined, one thing is for sure; we will see a quality match that highlights the many, many positives Kevin Owens brings to NXT.
Does his debut stop there though? In my mind, and more importantly hopes, no, it does not stop there.
Sami Zayn's "Road To Redemption" has been highly documented and feels like it will come to a triumphant end Thursday with a win over Adrian Neville. It is also well documented that Owens and Zayn have quite the history, dating as far back as a decade ago, traveling the independent circuits together. Whether they were teammates or rivals, their names stood side-by-side in most conversations.
I could see a backstage interaction between the two, whether it be a passing smile at one another, a quick promo, or a shoulder bump; either way, I could see the two interacting before the main event. While I predict a Zayn victory to claim the illusive NXT Championship, I also could see Owens coming down to the ring and congratulate his longtime friend on his victory.
And then turn on him.
If you think about it, there are no great heels in the singles ranks in NXT. There is Tyson Kidd and Tyler Breeze, to a degree. Other than that, who else do you have? The Ascension are a great heel tag team along with Simon Gotch and Aiden English, the Vaudevillians. Bull Dempsey has is deemed a heel as well, but his soon to be rivalry with Baron Corbin is just around the corner. If Zayn is to have a successful title run in NXT, he will need a slew of heel foes to defend his title against, that is, if Zayn remains a babyface after "R Evolution."
Owens would be the perfect antagonist and provide NXT with a rivalry that would match the intensity and competition level like Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose did for the main roster. His ability on the microphone to cut scathing promos with venom directed towards his opponents tied in with his "I don't care about anyone but me" persona would make Owens the perfect heel for Zayn to feud with down the road. Lastly, as if it needed to be said, their in-ring chemistry and history speaks for itself.
Who will be his opponent? That is up in the air obviously, but the likes of a CJ Parker or Tye Dillinger/Jason Jordan are names that come to mind right off the bat. They are talented performers who can put on serviceable matches and allow Owens to look solid in the ring. Or does he take on WWE Main Roster players like a Justin Gabriel or Tyson Kidd? How about Tyler Breeze? While who he faces remains to be determined, one thing is for sure; we will see a quality match that highlights the many, many positives Kevin Owens brings to NXT.
Does his debut stop there though? In my mind, and more importantly hopes, no, it does not stop there.
Sami Zayn's "Road To Redemption" has been highly documented and feels like it will come to a triumphant end Thursday with a win over Adrian Neville. It is also well documented that Owens and Zayn have quite the history, dating as far back as a decade ago, traveling the independent circuits together. Whether they were teammates or rivals, their names stood side-by-side in most conversations.
I could see a backstage interaction between the two, whether it be a passing smile at one another, a quick promo, or a shoulder bump; either way, I could see the two interacting before the main event. While I predict a Zayn victory to claim the illusive NXT Championship, I also could see Owens coming down to the ring and congratulate his longtime friend on his victory.
And then turn on him.
If you think about it, there are no great heels in the singles ranks in NXT. There is Tyson Kidd and Tyler Breeze, to a degree. Other than that, who else do you have? The Ascension are a great heel tag team along with Simon Gotch and Aiden English, the Vaudevillians. Bull Dempsey has is deemed a heel as well, but his soon to be rivalry with Baron Corbin is just around the corner. If Zayn is to have a successful title run in NXT, he will need a slew of heel foes to defend his title against, that is, if Zayn remains a babyface after "R Evolution."
Owens would be the perfect antagonist and provide NXT with a rivalry that would match the intensity and competition level like Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose did for the main roster. His ability on the microphone to cut scathing promos with venom directed towards his opponents tied in with his "I don't care about anyone but me" persona would make Owens the perfect heel for Zayn to feud with down the road. Lastly, as if it needed to be said, their in-ring chemistry and history speaks for itself.
CLosing Thoughts
It is safe to say that I have not been as excited for a debut in WWE or NXT as I am for Kevin Owens. He was the last big free agent, so to speak, that WWE targeted and acquired. He is one of the most recognizable names in the industry and in my mind, will have a bigger impact than bother Itami and Balor in the immediate future.
I will be the first to admit that I while I did not follow Owens' career in the independents as thoroughly as most have, I have watched as many of his matches as I can possibly find and as many promos as I could find as well. I have tried to listen to every interview and shoot he has done and read up on he and his career as well. I am a fan of Kevin Owens, just a little late to the party.
Owens' is a humble guy who lives and breathes professional wrestling and is finally getting his big break after 14 years of traveling the world. He is a family man that wants to fulfill his son's dream of wanting to see his father wrestle John Cena one day in the future and after Owens' debut Thursday night, that dream will start to become a reality, but it will not be an easy road.
All I can say is "Fight Owens Fight."
I will be the first to admit that I while I did not follow Owens' career in the independents as thoroughly as most have, I have watched as many of his matches as I can possibly find and as many promos as I could find as well. I have tried to listen to every interview and shoot he has done and read up on he and his career as well. I am a fan of Kevin Owens, just a little late to the party.
Owens' is a humble guy who lives and breathes professional wrestling and is finally getting his big break after 14 years of traveling the world. He is a family man that wants to fulfill his son's dream of wanting to see his father wrestle John Cena one day in the future and after Owens' debut Thursday night, that dream will start to become a reality, but it will not be an easy road.
All I can say is "Fight Owens Fight."
