A buddy of mine in the office is a huge independent wrestling fan. For months now he has been trying to get me to watch old Kevin Steen matches. I like wrestling, but I like it to be well-produced WWE-style, so I tend to shy away from the independent promotions. Kevin Steen then signed on with WWE and got placed at NXT as the renamed Kevin Owens. Now I see what all the fuss is about.
Since his debut in December, Owens has steam-rolled the competition. He is incredibly agile for someone his size with a remarkable sense of ring psychology. His mic work is already that of a seasoned veteran. I feel like we are watching the birth of a superstar. All of which leads me to his NXT title match with Sami Zayn (which the WWE greatly packaged, leaning heavily on the past history and friendship of these two men).
No one expected Zayn to drop the title he had fought so hard to finally snag from Neville. Yet here he was in his first title defense getting absolutely mauled by Owens. The sheer physicality of it all was amazing. Zayn selling every powerbomb as if he were near death. The refs stopping the fight and awarding the belt to Owens was reminiscent of the classic Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold match. Owens has star written all over him. I’m sure his stint at NXT will be short lived as the WWE knows they have a main event wrestler in their minors. —Luis
