The thing is, he's not wrong. Owens debuted at December's
Takeover: R Evolution and in the five months since NXT has been transformed,
with Owens being one of the most heavily featured names on the show. It's not
surprising that a high profile newcomer like Owens is being featured in a
significant role but it's surprising at how quickly it's happened and just how
significant his role is. His rapid ascent, winning the NXT title two months (to
the day) after debuting and interacting with top names immediately, is very
much not something pulled from the usual WWE playbook.
NXT would not fall apart or become unwatchable without
Owens. Just like it wouldn't without Finn Bálor and won't without Sami Zayn and
Hideo Itami. Just like it's surviving fine without Adrian Neville. But his
departure would be noticeable because he's such a major focus of the show and
storylines. Just as a champion should be.
You need look no further than the number of programmes
Owens has set up coming out of Unstoppable for evidence of how key Owens is to
NXT and WWE's plans for the future. By my count he has five programmes ready to
launch into. That's a number Seth Rollins, who supposedly holds wrestling's (and
WWE's) greatest prize, doesn't come close to.
 |
| This man is not a Cena victim. |
Owens versus Cena will happen for the first time at
Sunday's Elimination Chamber Network special. This is obviously a big deal for
Owens. With or without the world title and pay-per-view main events Cena is the
face of the company. Getting to wrestle him in what is essentially a
pay-per-view environment is a vote of confidence in Owens' abilities and a sign
that WWE wants him to be viewed as a standout performer. Whether he wins or
loses the match Owens will come out of it looking stronger1.
Takeover: Unstoppable established Finn Bálor as the new
number one contender to Owens' championship and Samoa Joe's appearance at the
end of the show left no doubt that he'd be up for a crack at Owens and the belt
too. So that's two guys Owens has gunning for him in NXT. Plus there are his
unresolved issues with Sami Zayn, who will presumably continue chasing Zayn
upon his return from his current injury layoff, and the heavy implication that
Owens was the one who attacked Hideo Itami before Unstoppable (see their
interactions on Twitter in the days before the show). It's not a stretch to
imagine Owens attacking Itami because he was worried about having to defend his
title against him.
And in addition to the number of potential rivalries
Owens has he's possibly the most interesting character in all of WWE right now
(only Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks and possibly Triple H are competition in that
regard). He's an unpleasant, opportunistic thug who's happy to attack people
from behind but he also has a relatable motive for his get-to-the-top-no-matter-the-cist
approach: earning more money to provide as good a life for his family as
possible. The nuances in his performances, such as the hypocrisy of him being
so vicious while talking of being a role model and the twinge of remorse before
he battered his one time pal Zayn with a steel chair, only serve to make his
character that bit more interesting. If this is indicative of the future, not
just for Owens but for NXT and WWE as a whole, then we have plenty to look
forward to.
***
1 Usually there'd be the issue of Cena doing something
questionable to upstage a foe lower down the pecking order2 but I
don't think that's a concern here. For one thing WWE seems intent of having
Owens look like a big deal, as mentioned above. For another Owens has been
around long enough to know how to counteract someone attempting to show him up.
2 See his repeated pulling down of Rusev's
trunks to reveal a plump gut during their series for the most recent example of
Cena's ability to subtly undermine people.
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