WWE: Original Plans Had Kevin Owens As Part Of The League Of Nations
On the November 30, 2015 edition of Raw, the League of Nations made their debut. They were sold to the audience as a group of heel wrestlers who were all from different countries outside of the United States. After the stable’s debut, there were many people who wondered why Kevin Owens was not a part of this group as he seems to fit the bill perfectly; he’s a heel wrestler who’s from Canada, a country that has not yet been represented in the group. However, the idea of having Owens in the League of Nations was actually the original plan, according to a report from PWInsider.
On the night where the League of Nations made their introduction, Owens was not on the show as he apparently had a bad case of the flu. He was on the road with his son that week and they both ended up getting very sick. Owens was sent home from Raw that night and was excused from Smackdown’s Tuesday night tapings. Since Owens was not available for The League of Nations’ introduction, WWE thought it would be best to leave him out of the faction all together as they felt the group could stand on their own without him.
Mark’s reaction: This is interesting news to read as I have too found myself thinking, why isn’t Owens in this group? Wouldn’t he be a natural fit for the League of Nations? However, once I thought it over some more it makes sense as to why the WWE didn’t push to have Owens in the group. Sheamus, Barrett, Rusev, Del Rio; All these wrestlers have incorporated their “international wrestler” status as part of their gimmick while Owens has not. I’m not even too sure if many people (who aren’t looking this stuff up on the internet) know he’s Canadian just by watching Monday Night Raw. Owens never boasts about it or talks about how “my country is better than yours” in any of his promos. Unless you’re listening carefully to when Lillian Garcia makes Owens’ ring introduction, you probably don’t know or remember that Owens is Canadian.
The group was also formed the Monday after Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Roman Reigns to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Odds are, since he was WWE Champion, Sheamus was always going to be the leader of the League of Nations. It would have been a mistake to have Owens a part of a group that he is not the leader of. He’s such a dominant heel and is without a doubt the best talker in that group. A League of Nations with Owens as the leader I may be down for, but I would not like to see a League of Nations where Owens is just in the background while Sheamus holds the reins.
Owens’ exclusion from the group ended up working out for the best anyway. His feud with Ambrose is currently the best feud on Raw while the League of Nations struggles to garner any real interest or heat. Owens can excel without the League of Nations by his side and he’s doing just that.
Would you have liked to see Kevin Owens be a part of the League of Nations? Would you like to see Kevin Owens as the leader of another faction, or do you think he’s fine on his own? Leave any of your thoughts in the comment section below.
Image used above is courtesy of WWE.com.