King: A World Without The Prizefighter

Chris King shares how WWE wouldn’t be the same today if Kevin Owens never made it out of NXT, and there would be no one to take down the self-proclaimed Best in the World Shane McMahon.

“The Prizefighter” Kevin Owens has recently donned a new anti-authority character to stop the power-hungry Shane McMahon and his abuse of control. If it hadn’t been for one man, the WWE Universe would have a huge hole in their hearts and those props go to “The Cerebral Assassin” and “Brainchild of NXT” Triple H!

At NXT TakeOver: R Evolution Owens made his highly-anticipated debut where he made short work of CJ Parker what it’s most remembered for, is Owen’s cold-hearted and vindictive assault on his so-called best-friend Sami Zayn after he won the NXT Championship.

In his first NXT Takeover main event NXT championship match Owens obliterated his so-called best-friend, when he delivered numerous powerbombs and won the NXT Title due to referee stoppage!

On May 18, 2015 episode of Raw, Owens would make his main roster debut, when he answered then-WWE United States Champion John Cena’s weekly US Title Open Challenge. Owens dropped Cena with a Ferocious Pop-up Powerbomb and infamously stomped his foot on the United States Championship, while arrogantly hoisting up his NXT Championship above his head.

On May 25, 2015, Kevin Owens was a guest on the G.O.A.T Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho Episode 147-Kevin Owens. During Owen’s time on the show he shared his thoughts and opinions on a myriad of topics, one specifically pertaining to his hiring in NXT.

“Even when I was hired, I was told by [WWE Senior Director of Talent Development] Canyon Ceman who called me to announce ‘okay, we’re going to sign you, but I was specifically told to tell you don’t get your hopes up for RAW or SmackDown because you’re not the typical WWE Superstar. You’re going to have a chance in NXT just like everyone else.’ So I said, ‘oh, I’m up for the challenge’ and he said, ‘I figured that’s what you were going to say’. That’s how my career started here and then Triple H always obviously believed in me. That’s why he signed me and he saw something in me.”

Two weeks later at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Owens would achieve the impossible, when he defeated John FREAKIN Cena clean in the middle of the ring 1-2-3!

Owens to Cena: "Your time is WAY UP! My time is NOW!" @JohnCena #WWEChamber @FightOwensFight http://t.co/vHSgzmbjzD

— WWE (@WWE) June 1, 2015

Fast Forward to August 29, 2016 episode of Raw, Owens was given the most influential “rub” by the man who whole-heartedly gave him his shot in WWE HHH. This all occurred during the outstanding fatal-four-way match for the vacated Universal Championship.

The ending of the match was the perfect combination of shock and awe, as HHH returned out of nowhere and delivered a thunderous Pedigree to Roman Reigns. He then threw him into the ring for his former protege Seth Rollins to eliminate his former Shield-mate.

Now it was down to Rollins and Owens for the coveted prize, HHH then turned Rollins around to deliver a shocking Pedigree and nodded to Owens (who was in bewilderment) to make the cover and win the Universal Championship.

Kevin Owens on HHH physically handing him the Universal title:

“So anyway, last Monday night, Triple H literally handing me the title, but that was a moment, like, that was incredible to me and I got to say ‘thank you’ in the ring,” Owens said. “Like, he gave me the title and I said, ‘thank you’, but it wasn’t ‘thank you for giving me the title’. It was ‘thank you for everything’. Yeah, because without him, like, I had Steve Austin saying good things about me [and] I even had The Rock saying good things about me before I got signed by WWE. But without Triple H taking that chance, who knows where I’d be now?”

Currently, Owens is setting his sights on The King of the Ring Tournament a spectacle that has meant to him throughout his childhood, something tells me The Best in the World will make sure he doesn’t make it past the first round against “The Drifter” Elias. Once he finally settles his vendetta with Shane, look for The Prizefighter to turn his gaze to the WWE Championship.

Owens has accomplished so much in his short WWE career, beating Cena in his debut match, winning the Universal and United States Championship, and now feuding with Shane McMahon for the second time in two years!

I think we can all agree that in his initial world heavyweight championship reign The Prizefighter wasn’t booked strongly. You can bet your ass that the next time Owens become WWE Champion, it will truly be a special moment in time for The Prizefighter and the WWE Universe!