Confused? You’re probably wondering what the hell is this idiot talking about and I don’t blame you - but if you continue reading I'll attempt to explain my stance.
Going back to Monday Night RAW’s final segment, while everyone was cheering at the latest stunt “The Monster Among Men” pulled, I felt bad for Kevin Owens.
You see, I don’t believe that the WWE truly understands what being a bully means. And look, I can’t say that I can relate to being a victim of bullying. People say stupid shit, I say stupid shit back, we fight, then have tacos and Corona, and laugh about being dumbasses earlier.
But as a scriptwriter, I’ve written stories that revolve around bullying. To try to make my stories as authentic and realistic as possible, I’ve done heavy research when it comes to the subject. Long story short, Braun Strowman is tormenting Kevin Owens. It seems like in WWE’s mind, it’s ok to be a bully when you’re a babyface.
I remember during the build towards the Reigns/Samoa Joe match at Backlash, after Joe cut a scathing, but true promo regarding Reigns inability to beat Brock Lesnar, “The Big Dog” responded by calling Joe a lazy fat ass; And this is supposed to be the top face of your company.
Another example, is when Strowman and Lashley beat up Owens and Zayn after their tag match at Backlash for no reason after they won the match.
I won’t even get started on the random one-week heel turn for Nia Jax where she was toying with her opponent. For [frick] sakes, the woman was fighting bullying not too long ago.
Look, I’m not angry or calling for a boycott on the WWE, but it’s hard to invest in stories and characters when they flip and flop so often.
I’m currently invested in Kevin Owens gaining the courage to man up and kick Braun Strowman’s ass. The problem is, this isn’t the story WWE is trying to tell. What despicable thing has Kevin Owens done since MITB to warrant the constant harassment from Strowman?
In fact, Owens was actually trying to befriend him the night after MITB. If you’re thinking that Owens was full of shit in trying to gain Strowman as an ally then maybe you’re right.
However, in screenwriting 101 (a class that Vince needs to take again), you’re taught that the actions or motivations of a character must be clear. We never got a segment of Owens admitting that he was trying to manipulate Strowman.
Hell, Strowman even entertained Owens’ offer the following week. There was never any sign that Owens was doing anything shady during that tag match. The guy was [frick]ing excited. Then after the match, Strowman turns on Owens who was clearly pumped about winning his match with the monster. Owens is terrified of him, but for some reason Strowman keeps picking on the weak guy.
Sure, Owens was conspiring for everyone to go after Strowman in the MITB ladder match, but “The Monster Among Men” already got his revenge by pushing him off a 20-foot ladder. I continue to be worried about the ass backwards booking that’s hurting these wrestlers.
In less than 5 months, WWE has killed Bobby Lashley. If you’re a babyface on RAW then you’re defining trait now is to smile like jackass and rarely exhibit any other emotion. Sasha Banks and Bayley are both terrible people who deserve to get their asses kicked (I’m ignoring the therapy bullshit). I’m not even going to start on Roman Reigns again.
It’s hard to emotionally invest in characters when Vince McMahon makes it clear that he doesn’t know how to create compelling stories with them.
I really hope that Owens gets his revenge on Braun Strowman because in the end, the bully should always get there ass kicked.