Kevin Owens: The SmackDown Superstar addresses his Heel Turn in an interview. He speaks candidly on his sudden turn and what has made it work.
WWE Superstar Kevin Owens returned to the WWE this February after a knee injury that side-lined him for months. He returned as a Face and fought with Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at Fastlane. His run as a Face saw him temporarily replace an injured Big E in the New Day. The current WWE Champion Kofi Kingston would go on and christen him the ‘Big O’.
The alliance between them was short-lived however as ‘Big O’ went on to betray the Champ and made his intentions clear. He was coming for the Top Belt. The two are scheduled to face each other at the ‘Money in The Bank’ Pay per View.
If it were up to Kevin, things would have been a little different though.
While speaking to The Wrap ahead of Tuesday’s SmackDown Episode, the former Universal Champion said that his run as a face was a little short for his liking.
“I wish I would have been able to stay on the other side of the fence a little longer, to be honest,” Owens said. He reasoned “I don’t think anybody’s really seen me as a babyface ever, or, like, the way that I envision myself being. I don’t think people have any idea what I can do on the other side. But, you know, what’s done is done.”
“If I’m gonna speak candidly about it, I would have done it differently. I would have turned on Kofi differently at a different time,” But: “I ended up being wrong because once I did it, I knew that was the right time and place,” Owens said.
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He went on to say that one of the reasons the turn worked was because of how much Kofi is liked. The WWE Champion is at a all time high as an underdog champ following his huge Wrestlemania Victory. With the crowd firmly behind him, Owens’ despicable actions immediately gave him heel heat.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, Daniel Bryan was supposed to face Kofi at Money in the Bank. Daniel Bryan suffered an undisclosed injury during their Wrestlemania match. He was eventually cleared to wrestle and even made a return in this week’s episode of Raw. However his absence meant that Kofi was without a challenger. Meltzer also reported that, If Bryan were cleared a week earlier then Owens wouldn’t have turned.
While it would have been interesting to see Kevin in a different role, he is a proven heel and carries the role perfectly. His character work is amazing, and he will prove to be a perfect opponent for Kofi. Maybe in the future we will get to see a full-fledged Face Owens. But for now, he will try to dismantle the Champ and establish his reign.
Money in the Bank will take place on Sunday, May 19, inside the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
