The Prizefighter has returned to WWE.
On this week’s RAW, Kevin Owens said that he is reclaiming his role as The Prizefighter. This nickname dates back to when Owens first joined the company in WWE NXT and made the commitment to do whatever it necessary to support his family. Later, in 2015, 2016, 2017, and beyond, he used the nickname while working on the main roster.
SmackDown Superstar Drew McIntyre addressed his match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WWE Clash at The Castle on September 3 during an in-ring segment on Monday’s RAW. Ciampa, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and Karrion Kross were just a few of the rivals McIntyre mentioned in his idea of capturing the championship and possibly defending it. Then Owens interrupted him.
While Owens found it amusing that McIntyre didn’t mention him until he walked out to challenge him, McIntyre said that he would also like to defend against Owens. Owens went on to say that he hasn’t changed during his career and that he is as genuine as it gets in this industry.
When entering the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC for RAW, Owens recalled how he and Sami Zayn tore the place down at WWE Battleground on July 24, 2016, giving the fans a match they still talk about today, which Zayn won. Owens then said that people like McIntyre have forgotten what he’s all about over the past few years, and he admitted that this may be his own fault because he’s been coming to work and having fun. When Owens entered the arena and was reminded of the Battleground match, he claimed he had goosebumps.
The Prizefighter continued by pointing out that he hasn’t held a WWE championship in five long years. He continued, “But enough is enough, and it’s time for a change,” quoting the late Owen Hart.
The host of The Kevin Owens Show then vowed to challenge every single champion, including the WWE Tag Team Champions and the WWE Intercontinental Champion. Because he’s going for the grandest championship of them all, Owens claimed he doesn’t care who wins Clash at The Castle—McIntyre or Reigns. When McIntyre heard this, he fired up on the mic and challenged Owens to a match. While acknowledging that Drew is no prize, Owens stated that he will do for the time being. As RAW went to commercial, they proceeded to battle it out in the ring.
After the break, McIntyre and Owens locked up and fought in a back-and-forth battle until Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos attacked McIntyre to cause his disqualification. After the bell, the Usos double-teamed McIntyre, but he managed to escape the champs and receive an Owens stunner. The Usos were forewarned by Owens to let Reigns know that he owes Owens a favor. After Owens left the ring, McIntyre delivered the Glasgow Kiss to Jey Uso and the Claymore Kick to Jimmy Uso, avoiding the 1D. McIntyre told The Usos to tell Reigns that he will appear on Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
Given that WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Head of Creative Triple H is in charge of the program and that The Game has been a big supporter of KO for a while, it has been rumored that Owens is due for a singles push. On previous week’s RAW, Owens destroyed Ezekiel, seemingly putting an end to their prolonged conflict. After Owens forced Zeke to leave the arena on a stretcher during their last week’s match, the result was a No Contest. Since Zeke defeated him by count-out on the June 13 RAW, Owens has not competed on WWE TV until that match.
After this week’s significant Owens-McIntyre encounter, it’s unclear what WWE has planned for Owens, but it appears like he will return to the main event stage. With the WWE United States Title in 2017, Owens’ most recent singles title reign ended. On July 23, 2017, at Battleground, he defeated AJ Styles to take the belt, but later that week, in a Triple Threat match with Chris Jericho, he lost it to AJ. Owens has never won a tag team championship in WWE.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
