On Monday, August 29th, 2016 the WWE fans were surprised in three major ways. The first surprise was the appearance of HHH on television for the first time since WrestleMania 32. The second surprise was who fell victim to HHH attack. Roman Reigns, who was the man who defeated HHH at WrestleMania for the WWE Title which was not shocking but the 2nd victim was Seth Rollins.

Rollins was an ally of HHH before Rollins severely injured his knee and had to relinquish the WWE Title. The third surprise was who took away the Universal Title and that man was Kevin Owens. While many were taken away by the end result, Kevin Owens is the right choice to claim the Universal Title and lead the Raw Brand.   

Reason 1: Owens is a great trash talker

The ability to deliver an entertaining promo is needed for wrestling fans to invest in a character and Owens had the gift of gab. Owens has four ways where he can entertain the fans while criticizing an opponent. First, Owens can ridicule his opponent during an interview segment which is nothing new to the wrestling industry. Second, with the advent of social media and Twitter Owens can get into a verbal joust with not only WWE superstars but other celebrities such as Melissa Joan Hart.

In under 150 characters, Owens could bring more attention to himself and the brand with a cleverly crafted tweet at the right target. Third, during his matches Owens could also be heard berating his opponent or another individual and the main target of Owens verbal venom has been WWE announcer Michael Cole.

Fourth, Owens has provided solid commentary has provided a lasting image. One of the most entertaining images from 2016 was when Owens was at the broadcasting table. Owens had his feet up on the broadcaster table while wearing JBL’s white Cowboy hat, which is an image worth more than 1000 words.   

Reason 2: Owens can wrestle

The days of having wrestlers get by on his look alone are long gone with many modern wrestling fans want a solid in-ring performer. Well, in the case of Kevin Owens, he can deliver a high-quality match and if there is doubt watch any Sami Zayn v. Kevin Owens match. Innovation has occurred in the ring with Owens implementing a pop-up powerbomb to incapacitate his opponent along with a cannon ball splash. There is even a high-flying move in Owens repertoire as he delivers a frog splash in a way that is similar to Eddie Guerrero.

KO celebrating his title win with HHH. Courtesy of WWE.com
KO celebrating his title win with HHH. Courtesy of WWE.com

Reason 3: Time for a new champion

Since WrestleMania 31 Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have been heavily involved in the title picture. To help out the character of both Rollins and Reigns and develop new characters the two of them should be taken out of the title picture.

Having the same performers going for the title would prevent other stars from being made and established. With Rollins and Reigns out of the title picture, more members of the Raw roster will be able to shine in a matchup against KO or against one of the former shield members. 

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