5 Mistakes WWE cannot make with Kevin Owens as a babyface

This week on WWE SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens cut a "pipebomb" style promo and shocked the pro wrestling world with a full-fledged babyface turn.

The former WWE Universal Champion ripped into Shane McMahon, accusing McMahon of taking TV time away from talented Superstars such as Liv Morgan and Apollo Crews. By the end of the show, Owens had cemented a feud with Dolph Ziggler and Shane McMahon on the blue brand and stuck it to his "boss" Shane by hitting the self-proclaimed Best In The World with a Stunner to close SmackDown Live.

After KO's big babyface turn this week and reports that Owens wanted to turn face in order to see where he could take himself in WWE, it looks like the company's next top face could be the unlikely Kevin Owens.

With Owens poised to make a name for himself as one of the new faces of WWE, let's take a look at five mistakes WWE cannot afford to make with Kevin Owens' face turn.

#5 Do not turn him into the next Stone Cold Steve Austin

It's never a good sign when WWE pushes a talent as the "next Stone Cold", or the "next Rock." The reason why those legendary names became stars is because they were the first of their kind, and brought a unique flavor to WWE.

When WWE pushes stars in the same mold as someone else, it always feels inorganic and unnatural, and rightfully so. Kevin Owens need not be the next Steve Austin, he needs to be the first Kevin Owens.

KO using the Stunner is not a problem, because wrestling moves are meant to be handed down over time, but the buck should stop there as it pertains to comparisons between Owens and Steve Austin.

With KO entering a feud with Shane McMahon that could culminate in a singles match at WWE SummerSlam, it's important that WWE doesn't completely rehash Stone Cold vs Vince McMahon, as that lightning will likely never strike twice, as has been duplicated with less success in the past.