Diehard professional wrestling fandom…. Well, it’s complicated.
Action packed matches, awe-inspiring interviews, and that soap opera style of drama are all designed to fit into one unique package that keeps people coming back for more. However, it’s not just the end result of a particular storyline, but it’s the journey along the way that needs to be carefully crafted, or done “right”, in order to satisfy.
And if you don’t get both of them right, the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) will call for your head on a pike.
On Raw this past Monday, Kevin Owens emerged victorious in a Fatal Four Way match to become the new WWE Universal Champion. The closing moments of the match saw a down-and-out Owens receive an unexpected assist from longtime villain, Triple H, who’s been MIA since he lost at WrestleMania almost five months ago.
Triple H dropped his arch nemesis, Roman Reigns, with his signature maneuver, the Pedigree, which allowed for his protégé, Seth Rollins to eliminate Reigns from the match. Then, in a surprising twist, Triple H turned on Rollins and laid him out with the Pedigree as well. Owens, like everyone else, looked on in shock and then seized the opportunity to pin Rollins for the 1-2-3.
This would make fans happy under normal circumstances, but standard fare in wrestling is subjective at best. While some are indeed happy with the finished product, there are a lot of wrestling fans who believe that the help Triple H gave Owens to win the title stripped away any legitimacy that the moment would have had otherwise.
It doesn’t matter that Owens’ cut-throat, heel persona has made him a fan favorite for years.
It doesn’t matter that this 32-year-old accomplished performer is arguably the best heel in the business today.
It doesn’t matter that he was the only wrestler to eliminate one of the combatants, Big Cass, without outside interference.
It doesn’t matter that Owens’s talent and atypical physique defied legitimate backstage politics stemming from an archaic way of thinking that only an Adonis should be champion.
And it doesn’t matter that Owens’ title win made him the new top guy/series lead on WWE’s flagship television program.
Kevin Owens didn’t win the Universal Championship fair and square or in wrestling jargon, clean.
Therefore, his ascension to the main event scene has zero credibility.
In other words, Kevin Owens is a fake champion in a sport that isn’t real. Do you see the irony here?
Wrestling has never been about the match, but about the story the match tells. Kevin Owens is a bad guy, which means he is supposed to break the rules and be the ultimate opportunist. The Québec native will become a more popular character in this new spotlight not only because he’s the champion, but because of his new found association with Triple H. Plus, Seth Rollins, who was screwed over by his mentor, is getting his long overdue babyface/good guy turn. This new element of having Owens vs. Rollins matches, that are sure to be nothing short of spectacular, couldn’t have happened if Owens won clean.
Some of the most recognizable names in the wrestling business such as The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho and others cheated to win their first world title. It didn’t hinder their characters one bit and it won’t happen to Kevin Owens either. This 16-year veteran is a master at working crowds in arenas around the world like a fiddle in order to get the desired result, which is to get people to boo him while paying to see him get his ass kicked.
A heel in wrestling, winning straight up will never accomplish that.
