Mr. Threepeat: Kevin Owens clocks in at #7!

Only one name has made everyone of the annual Top 10 lists on this site. And that is a man that has taken WWE by storm since he first signed in August 2014. A dominant former NXT Champion, WWE Universal Champion, two time Intercontinental Champion and three time United States Champion (the most recent of which came in mid-2017), Kevin Owens makes a solid argument for being WWE's most valuable player.

Image credit: WWE.com.

2017 opened with Owens at a new high. He won the WWE Universal title after the first champion Finn Balor went down with an injury sustained in his first title match. He held it all through the second half of the year, even beating Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble to retain. But his obsession with his own greatness made him turn on his friend and ally Chris Jericho. This turn would lead to a distraction at Fastlane that would cost Owens his title and his main event berth at Wrestlemania. Owens and Jericho degenerated into a feud that would lead through a transfer to the Smackdown brand. They would trade the United States title twice before the feud was over.

From there, Owens moved into a feud with AJ Styles over the United States title that carried both through the summer. They put on a series of epic matches, but ultimately the Phenomenal One came out on top.

But it was his shenanigans in the ring that ultimately lead to Summerslam and Shane McMahon's insertion in his match for the US title with Styles. He segued into a feud with Shane himself, one that still burns as 2017 closes.

Owens beat down Mr. McMahon to really kick it off, followed by a destructive Hell in a Cell match at that same pay-per-view. Sami Zayn would rescue him there, joining forces with his own friend as both felt Shane failed to give them the chances they deserved in Smackdown's "land of opportunity." He would interfere against his own brand's team (lead by Shane) at Survivor Series. Shane wanted to fire both men afterwards, but Daniel Bryan stepped in to keep both employed. Bryan would also count the deciding three count at Clash of Champions in a match for Owens and Zayn's jobs. This would turn Shane's enmity towards Bryan as well, but even as Owens moves back into the World title picture, his enmity with his boss still holds.

Kevin Owens is one of those rare talents that shines past any flaws. He looks like a pretty normal guy thrown in a world of lithe high fliers and muscular giants. But this belies his immense in ring skills, his ability to cut wicked promos (in his second language no less) and his ability to tell some of the best stories in wrestling today. Only a handful of talents can rise above the often dreadful storytelling of WWE programming. Kevin Owens deserves his place on this list for his ability to outshine so many talents around him.

Now Kevin Owens enters 2018 as the most hated man on the Smackdown roster. With multiple potential opponents to face moving forward, it remains to be seen if he can continue his streak into a fourth year. But now aligned with Sami Zayn, the future continues to be bright for the Top 10's most decorated entrant.

As we close out this entry, let's look back at one of Owens' finest moments as the Festival of Friendship comes to dark close...


Tomorrow, we introduce the talent with the highest rise in profile of the year, that rose out of a burgeoning wrestling scene to become one of the top talents in the world.