Is a former US Champion becoming a Stone Cold Steve Austin copy? (Opinion)
WWE management has often come under fire for their lack of ability to create new Superstars. The company has, more often than not, resorted to bringing back big-name legends for a quick boost in ratings and that decision has backfired in the long run.The nostalgic fans are also partly to blame, as they compare the current product to the golden age of pro wrestling.
Who are The Rock, Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin of this generation? We, as fans, love to indulge in conversations of such nature, however, what's the WWE doing to replicate the roaring success from the past?
The officials are doing their bit in pushing talents in the mould of the iconic Superstars and Kevin Owens is a glaring example of the aforementioned trend.
KO is being portrayed as the Stone Cold Steve Austin of this era as he has adopted the Stone Cold Stunner as well as the general outline of The Texas Rattlesnake's monumental character.
Is it the right move though? Is Owens just becoming an underwhelming copy of Steve Austin?
Kevin Owens' Stone Cold-inspired gimmick was one of the topics of discussion on the latest edition of Sportskeeda's Dropkick DiSKussions podcast. Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz spoke about the various aspects of Owen's gimmick and its parallels to Steve Austin.
Tom gave a detailed explanation of why Kevin Owens is the perfect guy to reproduce the magic that Austin conceived in the Attitude Era.
Owens, for one, has been a life-long fan of Steve Austin and the WWE legend has himself helped the current RAW Superstar reinvent his character. Austin has been one of the biggest supporters of Owens and the WWE Hall of Famer has even shared his priceless tips on how to deliver the perfect Stunner.
If you let him be Kevin Owens, then he will be very similar to Steve Austin and that's exactly what's happening. Kevin Owens is a huge fan of Steve Austin, he's been very open about it. He's taken advice from Steve Austin and he has Steve Austin's blessings to use the Stunner. Steve Austin has, in fact, helped him with how he's delivering it, really endorsing him in that manner.
While there are definitely some similarities and some people may agree that it's not up to the same standard when you are that genuine in your love for someone, you really deserve to say that this person is an inspiration to me and as a result, I've modelled myself on this person.
Tom felt that there is nothing odd about Owens modelling himself around Austin, as Owens genuinely considers 'The Bionic Redneck' as his idol. Merely looking up to your idol isn't enough as you also need to have the talent to walk the talk. Thankfully for Owens, he has all the tools to do what Steve Austin did in his prime.
There is nothing bad about that, also to be fair, they moved to a more Steve Austin element is no different from the typical Kevin Owens we used to get. Constantly talking, making people laugh at house show matches, it was always something Steve Austin did a lot of. So while the Stunner might be considered a bit much by some people, it's something that Austin is happy with, it's something that Owens is happy with.
I don't think it's disingenuous at all, I think he's been incredibly genuine and he really does love the man and I think Steve Austin has a lot of respect for Kevin Owens as well. We'll see how much further it goes, I think Kevin Owens has a lot more to his game, and I think he's taken a little bit of time to really settle himself politely into his face role. He's happy as he is, Steve Austin's happy, and the fans seem to be very happy with it too.
Owens is gradually settling into his role as a babyface but he still is yet to hit his stride as the top face of the company.
Steve Austin doesn't have a problem. Owens seems to be enjoying himself. Most importantly, the fans love KO too, and that's a great sign of the things to come.
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