Ranking Kevin Owens' matches at WrestleMania
Kevin Owens has always known the importance of being in a prominent position come WrestleMania season. The Prizefighter started referring to The Grandest Stage of Them All as "KO-Mania" ahead of his first time at the event. This has continued and become a yearly theme in the form of KO-Mania shirts for Owens.
WrestleMania has been the setting for many of Kevin's most important matches in his run with WWE. He's settled scores and faced career-long rivals while also paying off on near-year-long storylines at the show.
Stone Cold + Kevin Owens = #WrestleMania 38
#WWERaw https://t.co/3pTvfIhPim
Whether it be for championship gold or bitter rivalries, KO has found a way to stand out and steal the spotlight regardless of the contest or stipulation. He has truly made the event his own thanks to focused buildups heading in.
In this article, we'll rank every match Kevin Owens has had at WrestleMania.
#5. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon - WWE WrestleMania 34
After nearly three long years, @WWEDanielBryan was BACK in action at #WrestleMania 34! @SamiZayn @ShaneMcMahon #KevinOwens https://t.co/7HusBCtgTz
After being a part of championship contests in his first two appearances at The Show of Shows, Kevin Owens was in a more story-driven bout at WrestleMania 34.
The year prior saw KO embroiled in a bitter feud with SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon that saw his best friend Sami Zayn turn heel and align with him against the new authority.
A few weeks before 'Mania, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan was cleared to wrestle again after being out of action for three years. At 'Mania 34, it was all about Bryan getting in the ring to team with Shane against KO and Zayn. Unfortunately, the New Orleans crowd had to wait for this.
The match primarily saw Owens and Zayn isolate McMahon while Bryan was out on the floor. Bryan would come in like a house on fire and eventually lead his tag team to victory. The match worked well for all four men involved, but it just wasn't the best layout.
#4. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho for the United States Championship - WWE WrestleMania 33
Chris Jericho revealed that Vince McMahon thinks that his match with Kevin Owens at Wrestlemania 33 was one of the worst matches in Wrestlemania history. 411mania.com/wrestling/chri… https://t.co/BxdeKO6JrE
Heading into WrestleMania 33, it looked like Kevin Owens would defend the Universal Championship against Chris Jericho in the climax of their seven-month friendship-turned-feud.
The Festival of Friendship saw their dramatic split in one of the most entertaining segments on Raw in a decade. However, Jericho cost Owens his title at Fastlane against Goldberg.
In the end, the two men faced off with Jericho's United States Championship up for grabs in the second match on the card. Both men worked well with each other and had some strong storytelling. Owens barely survived Jericho's Codebreaker by getting his finger on the ropes.
KO would go on to hit a pop-up powerbomb to win his first US Championship, but the placement and lack of a top title put this bout short of the payoff both men deserved.
#3. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - WWE WrestleMania 37
KEVIN OWENS JUST STUNNED TO LOGAN PAUL
#WrestleMania37 https://t.co/qJ00teMGlC
Last year's WrestleMania was the first event in front of live fans in over a year. Owens had the honor of facing his real-life best friend and career-long rival Sami Zayn on the show.
To add some sizzle to the steak of this bout, Zayn asked for the assistance and attendance of social media celebrity Logan Paul in his corner for the match.
The two superstars had a high impact affair that went just under 10 minutes. Zayn and Owens both pulled out all the stops to give fans something they would remember. KO hit a Stunner on Zayn to get the win here. After the match, Logan Paul turned on Sami, but he also ate a Stunner for his troubles.
#2. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins in a No DQ Match - WWE WrestleMania 36
As far as @WWERollins is concerned, the @WWEPC is the perfect place for his #WrestleMania 36 match against @FightOwensFight. #WWETheBump https://t.co/J50UlQpWUr
WrestleMania 36 will forever stand as the most unique show in the event's history. The world was in a global pandemic, which meant that no live fans could attend the show.
However, Kevin Owens and his opponent Seth Rollins used this to their benefit, telling the story of how important the Performance Center was and how it made their match even more special.
This became an intense brawl that initially went to a disqualification finish. However, the contest was restarted as a no-DQ battle. The intensity and emotion went up right from the start. Both men wanted to stand out on this evening.
KO accomplished a goal to have a memorable WrestleMania moment with an insane dive off the 'Mania sign, putting Seth through the commentary table. Owens then rolled Rollins into the ring and delivered the Stone Cold Stunner to claim the victory.
#1. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship - WWE WrestleMania 32
Love that they included the IC Title ladder match in the #WrestleMania 32 replay on ESPN. The night @ZackRyder finally got his WrestleMania moment! https://t.co/PeL4hjub86
WrestleMania 32 marked Owens' first appearance at the event. Weeks ahead of the show, Owens won the Intercontinental Championship for the second time. He also had career-long rival Sami Zayn return from injury and set his sights on him and his title. However, his challenge was even more daunting than that.
KO defended the Intercontinental Championship in a seven-way ladder match against Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Sin Cara, Stardust, The Miz and Zack Ryder. This quickly became a showstealer with all seven men bringing crazy, non-stop action that had the Dallas crowd on the edge of their seats.
Owens and Zayn brought a new level of intensity in their brawling with one another. KO took a brutal bump on the side of the ladder when Sami delivered a vicious half-and-half suplex. Their moments of interaction brought much-needed storytelling to this high impact spectacle.
However, the two rivals pretty much canceled each other out and didn't factor directly into the finish. Instead The Miz looked like he would once again claim the IC Title on this night, but his cockiness backfired when Zack Ryder pushed him off the ladder and climbed up to win. It was a special moment in Ryder's career.
There have been many ladder matches in WrestleMania history. From the legendary Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon to the TLC tag battles of the Attitude Era, the legacy of the stipulation is etched into the history of the event.
This WrestleMania 32 opener fits right in with those. That's why it was Kevin Owens' best match at WrestleMania.