Kevin Owens has always been a polarizing figure. Throughout his career, the former Universal Champion has excelled at chaos, but his current story has dipped to new levels.
Recently, the WWE’s creative team has perfectly hazed the line between good and bad and mastered the waters between cheering for or cursing The Prizefighter.
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It was at Bad Blood that we first saw the ambiguity surrounding Kevin Owens’ character—he accused Cody Rhodes of betrayal for his teaming up with Roman Reigns. In a car interview during the December 6th episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens went off on his ongoing issues with Cody Rhodes.
KO didn’t give too much away about other rivalries, but he vowed to settle the score with Rhodes. Owen’s unpredictability and emotional state were on display, and fans wondered what his next move would be.
The Smackdown Car Interview
The parking lot interview Kevin Owens did with Michael Cole on SmackDown was a masterclass in controlled chaos, and it showed just how unhinged ‘The Prizefighter’ has become. Owens started from the get-go flipping the script, refusing to step into the studio or into a proper arena setting, forcing Cole to meet him in his car.
The interaction was more of a verbal brawl than an interview, as Owens tossed Cole’s mediation attempts aside and ranted in an almost maniacal way about his frustrations. His defiance reached a boiling point, physically kicking the veteran commentator out of the car when Cole suggested all of Owen’s conflicts might be his fault.
This ultimately showed Owens as being unhinged and unpredictable, and all the more so, building on an already volatile character.
Mocking Cody Rhodes for leaving WWE in 2016 only muddied the line even further between reality and storyline, blurring the lines between himself and the segment until it felt not only scripted but personal and raw.
Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes: More Than Just a Title Fight

Later that night after Cody Rhodes’ grueling win against Chad Gable, Kevin Owens waited outside, ambushed Rhodes, and targeted his injured ankle. It was a turning point because Owens threw away the hesitation he put in at Bash Berlin and came out much more brutal, much more calculated, much more of a threat.
Owens’ current arc is so compelling because of its moral ambiguity. Owens and Rhodes both have good reasons to think that they are on the right side. Rhodes calls Owens a traitor for what happened in Bad Blood and Owens claims that Rhodes is being hypocritical for leaving WWE in 2016.
They’ve made this area a moral gray area, one that has captured the WWE Universe asking themselves who exactly they should be rooting for. Is Owens a bitter antagonist or a man fighting for right and wrong? Is Rhodes a real hero or is he blinded by his ambitions?
The Undisputed WWE Championship clash between Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes on December 14th also holds far larger stakes than the title. The result could make or break Owens as a former hero gone bad or as a villain through and through.