Kevin Owens

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Charlotte Praises Father's "Dirtiest Player" Tactics vs. Christian

Monday's Raw may have ended in a shock to some but not to those who have watched Ric Flair's career.

The Dirtiest Player in the Game, after spending the whole episode warning Christian not to take on Randy Orton in an "unsanctioned" match, hit Christian with a low blow after his pleas went unanswered. That allowed Orton to quickly hit a punt to Christian's head and continue perhaps the best character story currently on WWE programming.

Charlotte seemed to indicate Christian should have known what was coming:

We should have seen it coming too. Flair, after all, spent years in Evolution with Orton. Anyone with a brief knowledge of WWE history should have known where Flair's loyalties were lying, even if the 71-year-old was legitimately warning Christian of the danger that lies ahead.

Arn Anderson Praises Owens, Says WWE Screwed Up His Debut

Kevin Owens made the biggest possible splash a debuting Superstar can have in modern WWE, going toe-to-toe with—and beating—John Cena. Unfortunately, that wasn't where the feud ended. Cena got back two more wins over Owens, and the rub the former NXT champion got from his debut forced him to briefly fade into the midcard.

Like many fans at the time, Arn Anderson wasn't happy with how the situation played out. Anderson said on his podcast (via Wrestling Inc.) that WWE ignored fan reaction, keeping Owens heel when the fans clearly wanted him to go over: 

"If you're going to listen to the audience throughout this thing, then Kevin Owens became a star that night. If you don't listen, no matter what you have booked or written down for the next 3 weeks, don't you switch your plans too: here's my new baby face?

"He's the antihero, he's that guy that kicks ass. He's the everyday man that doesn't look like he can pop-up power bomb Mark Henry, but he can, I've seen it, more than once. The audience was cheering for him so make him a baby face the very next day, switch gears. To beat John Cena with his finish, there's no bigger launching pad at that time, so go with it, switch gears. Turn him into what they want to see."

It took years for Owens to switch gears and become the so-called antihero Anderson described, which has been his character for the better part of the last year. Owens' ability to deftly switch from heel to babyface is just evidence of his brilliance in the ring.

Natalya Tweets Lana; Teases Future Storyline?

Lana's back on WWE television, apparently to shed herself and Bobby Lashley of their marriage storyline. Lana showed up at Backlash to cause a distraction in Lashley's WWE Championship match with Drew McIntyre, and Lashley has said he wants a divorce.

With real-life husband Rusev being fired by WWE earlier this year, there's no obvious place for Lana's story to go after her breakup with Lashley. It appears WWE could be spinning her off into some partnership with Natalya after the two commiserated about their recent struggles Monday on Raw:

The women's tag team division is sorely in need of some new teams, so a Lana-Natalya partnership could be interesting provided Lana has made some significant strides in the ring.  

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Riddle Acknowledges Backstage Heat; Says Relationship With Management Is Good

Matt Riddle is a polarizing figure in the wrestling business. Not necessarily with fans, who have come to love his laid-back persona, off-kilter style in the ring and bro-tastic promos. 

However, his outspokenness has rubbed some the wrong way—leading to rumors he has heat backstage. That would typically lead to a quick denial from most performers. Riddle, however, acknowledged there is some truth to the buzz in an interview with SportsKeedia's Gary Cassidy:

"I'll tell you this. Do I have heat with WWE or NXT, or the people that run the show? No. Do I have heat with some people who think I'm disrespectful at times because they don't understand how business works? Yes. Do people take things too seriously? Yes.

[...]

"If I talk a certain amount of trash, people are like, 'Oh, man, that guy's uncontrollable, he does what he wants.' You know what I'm saying? I'm doing the job, I'm in the business I'm in. I'm a tag champ, I was in the Rumble, so how does this guy have so much nuclear heat?

"I was in Vince McMahon's office just three weeks ago, before this thing broke out. I was in headquarters talking to him - and, yeah, we mentioned the heat I have with certain people but, at the end of the day, he signs the cheques, he makes it happen for me and they're in control, not the talent.

"If employer's happy and I can make them money and make them a profit, and I'm worth my weight and I'm pulling my weight, I don't see a problem. To answer your question, yes, some people I have heat with. But most of it's just high school, catty, 'He said this,' people who just can't take a joke or a work."

In other words: Goldberg definitely doesn't like Riddle. While WWE may have played into the tension for the storyline, it wasn't a work. The dislike from Goldberg's side was likely very real, given the number of insults—most very true—Riddle hurled his way.

Riddle straddling that line between character and the actual truth makes him one of WWE's most compelling performers. That said, it's no surprise that it may rub some people the wrong way.

Kevin Owens Out With Ankle Injury

Kevin Owens jumping off the WrestleMania sign may have been one of the best wrestling moments of the year, but it was apparently costly. Owens revealed in an interview with RDS, which was conducted in French, that he will undergo an X-ray to determine whether he suffered a fracture or a sprain of his ankle jumping off the sign onto Seth Rollins.

He has not appeared on Raw since the night after WrestleMania, which was taped weeks ahead of its airing.

“The great thing about WWE is that it doesn't require us to be there if we don't want to. This is also why in the last two weeks I have not been present because I preferred to be at home with my family," Owens said, per the Wrestling Observer.

No timetable has been given for his return to action.

Karl Anderson Rips Into WWE Video Team

Suffice it to say Karl Anderson had his issues with how his time with WWE went. Anderson, who was released along with tag-team partner Luke Gallows last month, accused WWE of leaving out things for people they don't want to get over:

They’ll conveniently leave out lots of things that’ll get you more over.. https://t.co/TB2nT5W7BB

— Karl Anderson (@MachineGunKA) May 4, 2020

It's unclear as to what Anderson is referring. Gallows and Anderson never did much to get themselves over with the WWE audience; their only real runs of notability came when they were paired with AJ Styles. Whether that was their fault or WWE's is up to interpretation.

We just have a good feeling where Anderson stands on that matter. 

With WrestleMania 36 in the rearview mirror, WWE has wasted little time in looking ahead to the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, which is scheduled for May 10.

The event will likely take place at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with no fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic rather than the originally scheduled venue in Baltimore, but all signs point toward WWE holding the show regardless.

Since the vast majority of men and women who win the Money in the Bank ladder match go on to become world champions, the MITB pay-per-view is one of the most important events of the year in terms of making stars.

With SmackDown already booking some Money in the Bank qualifying matches, here is a rundown of some Raw Superstars who would be a good fit in the men's ladder match.

Kevin Owens

Fresh off a huge victory over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 36, Kevin Owens has a ton of momentum on his side and could parlay it into a Money in the Bank win.

KO is a former world champion, as he was the second Superstar to win the Universal Championship, but he hasn't held a world title since dropping that belt to Goldberg at Fastlane 2017 prior to WrestleMania 33.

Owens has spent much of his time in the midcard since then, but he has a ton of support as a babyface, and beating Rollins at WrestleMania is the type of victory that tends to catapult a Superstar to the next level.

While vying for the WWE Championship immediately isn't in the cards since Drew McIntyre won it from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, giving Owens the Money in the Bank contract would be an ideal way to keep him relevant until the time is right for him to jump into the title scene.

It is possible The Beast Incarnate will win back the WWE title from the Scot at some point down the line, and if that is the case, Owens would be the perfect opponent. KO has the size and brawling ability needed to believably compete with Lesnar, and there is no doubt the WWE Universe would support him heavily in that scenario.

Also, Owens proved at WrestleMania he is willing to do anything to entertain the fans, including jumping off the event's sign. That means he is tailor-made for the chaos of the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Aleister Black

Like Owens, Aleister Black has momentum on his side and is on the ascent on WWE's red brand.

The Dutchman defeated Bobby Lashley in impressive fashion at WrestleMania 36, which culminated a long and impressive winning streak on Raw. He has dominated lower-level competition, so it's time for a step up in class.

Since getting called up from NXT to the main roster last year, Black has been nearly flawless in one-on-one singles competition. His only loss came against AJ Styles on the March 2 edition of Raw after beating Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows right before, but he got revenge with a win over The Phenomenal One at Elimination Chamber six days later.

Black has conquered essentially every obstacle placed in his path, so the natural progression for the former NXT champion is to vie for the WWE title in the near future.

Since it is unlikely the company will go with a babyface vs. babyface feud between Black and McIntyre, the Dutchman is a strong candidate to be part of the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Also, Black's character is one who could easily transition to the heel side at some point, and cashing in on a vulnerable McIntyre would be a perfect way to make the turn happen.

Black seemingly has all the tools needed to be a world champion in WWE, and he will be among the top contenders to win Money in the Bank if he is included in the match.

Apollo Crews

While the aforementioned Superstars are on the precipice of world title contention, the same can't be said for Apollo Crews.

Although Crews has been on the main roster since 2016, he is severely lacking in career highlights. He has been a victim of getting called up from NXT too soon, but there is still some hope to salvage him.

On Monday's episode of Raw, it was announced that the 32-year-old had been moved from SmackDown to the red brand because of "draft picks that were set to expire." He made an instant impact by having a long and competitive match against Black.

Even though Crews lost, it was the best and strongest he looked in years, which suggests Raw executive director Paul Heyman may have big plans for the powerful high-flyer moving forward.

It is highly unlikely Crews will win Money in the Bank and be thrust into the WWE title scene out of nowhere, but merely competing in the match and having a good showing would raise his profile significantly.

Crews is a perfect fit for Money in the Bank in that he can do the high-risk spots fans enjoy while also taking part in the power spots the match has become known for.

It can be argued Crews is the most physically impressive and talented Superstar in WWE, and if he shows that on a big stage like Money in the Bank, it could be huge for his career moving forward.

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Fresh off winning his first world championship at WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre will need an opponent as WWE starts the build for Money in the Bank.

On Monday's Raw, rather than do a traditional post-WrestleMania angle, WWE aired bonus footage from after the pay-per-view went off the air, with McIntyre defeating the Big Show in an impromptu title match.

The company appears to have already started planning for the May 10 pay-per-view, with Braun Strowman likely defending the Universal Championship against "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt based on the end of Friday's SmackDown.

Things aren't nearly as clear-cut for McIntyre and the WWE Championship, but there are a number of directions in which the creative team could go.

Here are the most likely challengers to take on McIntyre at Money in the Bank.

Brock Lesnar

One unfortunate hallmark of WWE storytelling is that feuds rarely last a single match, even if the babyface wins the first time around.

WWE has gotten better in recent years of not going right back to its WrestleMania main event as the main event of the next pay-per-view. The last time that happened was in 2018, when Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 and then beat him again in a cage match at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

Since Lesnar has been CEO Vince McMahon's go-to champion on Raw for the past three years, don't underestimate the possibility that the Beast gets an immediate rematch for his title.

If there is a reason for WWE to hold off on a Lesnar-McIntyre match right off their WrestleMania battle, it's because the booking possibilities wouldn't be good for either one.

Considering how valuable Lesnar is to WWE, it shouldn't be a surprise to learn that he hasn't lost consecutive singles matches since 2003.

McIntyre received a major push to begin this year, starting with his win at the Royal Rumble and culminating with his coronation at WrestleMania. Having him immediately lose the title or even fight to a draw or a disqualification against Lesnar would only slow down the momentum he's built.

Seth Rollins

Another staple of WWE storytelling is putting Superstars in championship matches coming off pay-per-view losses.

One potential beneficiary of this could be Seth Rollins. The Monday Night Messiah was pinned clean by Kevin Owens in a no-disqualification match at WrestleMania, but WWE seemed like it tried to undo that defeat by having him squash Denzel Dejournette the next night on Raw.

Rollins has been out of the championship picture since losing to The Fiend at Crown Jewel in October. His heel turn got off to a rocky start, but it seems as if he's settled into the role nicely in recent weeks.

Giving McIntyre another top heel to defeat would help his ongoing ascent, though again this goes back to the WWE philosophy of not wanting to have its top stars lose on consecutive pay-per-views.

Rollins is on the shortlist of main event Superstars on the Raw roster. WWE goes out of its way to protect those performers, so a potential match with McIntyre would likely have to involve some sort of false finish.

Kevin Owens

Rather than try to position more heels on the Raw roster for McIntyre to square off against, WWE could opt for a babyface vs. babyface title match at Money in the Bank.

Owens would make a natural challenger for the title. He's coming off a marquee win over Rollins on the biggest show of the year and said on the Raw after WrestleMania that he wanted to move on to bigger and better things.

WWE has done a terrific job of building up Owens as a strong babyface in recent months. He is one of the best talkers in the company and would do a great job of building up a feud with McIntyre, especially given the limitation of having no crowd to interact with in the arena.

Both Owens and McIntyre are excellent in-ring workers and could put on a great match worthy of a pay-per-view main event. K.O. has built up enough clout in recent months through his feud with Rollins that he can afford to lose on this stage without being hurt at all.

If all things are equal, McMahon and the creative team will put Owens in the championship picture at Money in the Bank.