RAW’s Booking Of Main Event Heels Is Seriously Hurting The Product

Wrestling is at its best when the heel is so strong that the babyface is the underdog. That’s what makes the storyline interesting. How can Stone Cold Steve Austin win while feuding with his boss? How can The Rock overcome the McMahon-Helmsley regime? These are the storylines that we remember. We remember them because the heels were a genuine threat. Kane once looked like he was unstoppable, and The Undertaker would have to go to extreme lengths to beat him at WrestleMania XIV, Shawn Michaels had to overcome an eye injury to defeat a cold and calculating Chris Jericho… now we have a comedic cowardly Kevin Owens running away from the monster Braun Strowman,

Braun already has the MITB briefcase, he’s already over as a monster babyface. Owens however is better than Braun as a performer in every single way and deserves to be a top heel on RAW. He was booked much better in NXT, where he was dangerous, violent and manipulative. On RAW he’s booked as a comedic, cowardly heel. This feud has done absolutely nothing for either wrestler. Braun is still exactly where he was before, simply waiting to cash-in his briefcase and Owens is now turning into a non-threatening heel. One in which you’re more likely to feel sorry for than worry that he might hurt your favorite babyface.

In my opinion, WWE could’ve booked this feud so much better. What if the feud was about Owens being jealous of Braun’s success? Have him try to suck up to Braun by telling him that his son is a fan of his and how he wishes that he was Nicholas. Have him even act almost like a babyface for two weeks. Have him claim that his son is in the same class as Nicholas, and that they’re friends now… it’s all leading to Owens telling Braun that Nicholas got into an accident and that they should drive to the airport and fly to the hospital right away. Instead, as Braun rushes to the parking lot, a crate falls on him in the hallway. Braun is knocked down, and that’s when Owens finally shows his true colors by viciously assaulting him with a lead pipe. Owens specifically targets one of Braun’s knees.

Next week on RAW, it’s revealed that Braun’s knee is injured, and Owens does a chilling promo about how Braun is stupid and gullible just like all of the fans. How his son and Nicholas live in different cities and that only an “idiot like Braun would fall for something like this”. Owens wants the MITB briefcase and dares Braun to put it on the line against him. Braun of course agrees, but Owens goads Braun to follow him backstage again (faking that he’s scared of him), only to attack him with a ladder and then a lead pipe again. At Extreme Rules they have an extreme rules match, Owens wins after targeting Braun’s knee all match.

This leads to a rematch at SummerSlam where Braun beats Owens for the briefcase in a rematch after this time outsmarting Owens, by putting his career on the line against the briefcase and acting as if his knee is so badly hurt that it could be his last match. Instead, he recovers and destroys Owens, though Owens still looks good in the match. Owens wins the steel cage rematch on RAW the following night, after Braun smashes him through a wall.

Let’s look at the result of this feud:

• Braun’s sympathetic side is shown (he cares about Nicholas)
• He’s shown to be smart
• He remains a monster

Owens looks cunning and manipulative, beats Braun, and is now set-up as a good opponent for Braun, once Braun wins the Universal Title. There’s also the element of the MITB briefcase being put on the line and thus creating added excitement.

Seriously how hard is it to book dominant heels? Why can’t McIntyre be booked like Braun was last year? Why can’t Jinder or Elias go on a big winning streak? Why not have Ziggler beat Reigns? Create strong heels and the product is guaranteed to be better. RAW’s top heel should be a full-timer who is a legitimate threat to the top babyfaces.

Related: Braun Strowman Reveals What He Eats For Breakfast