Kevin Owens Shuts Down Annoying NXT Fans With One Brilliant Piece Of Kayfabe

Kevin Owens is a heel, and he’s going to be a heel whether the NXT fans want it or not.

Part of the allure of the unlikely superstar is that he totally gets old school wrestling psychology as evidenced in the latest episode of NXT.

After Sami Zayn’s music played to start the broadcast, fans were excited to see the rising star again, especially after the beatdown that Owens gave him at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable.

But when a wrestler finally came through the curtain, it wasn’t Zayn at all, but the man who injured him: Kevin Owens.

Owens soaked up the boos for a moment, but by the time he got to ringside, the audience in attendance had started to cheer.

If you have a respect for old school wrestling the way many of us fans do, then you are probably aware that the obnoxious throng of fans that sit in on NXT tapings refuse to, as the Rock would say, know their roles.

If a bad guy is trying to be bad, treat him that way, especially if you respect the work he’s doing.

Unfortunately, broadcast after broadcast of NXT is often bogged down by annoying chants for guys like Owens and Tyler Breeze, who play their roles with a stunning degree of skill, only to get disrespected by fans who cheer them on like they’re a couple of faces.

Well, Kevin Owens was having none of it. When he stepped foot in the ring and took the mic, he shut down these folks with one of the best promos in years.

Unfortunately, a clip isn’t available for you — you’ll have to watch episode 280 on the WWE Network — but this is what he said when the audience started chanting, “John Cena sucks” to show support for Owens in his upcoming matchup with Cena at Elimination Chamber.

“You know what’s really odd about you guys chanting that is, I’ve never heard you chant, ‘Sami Zayn sucks,’ and he does, too.”

From there, the cheers turned instantly to boos, as they should have.

The great thing about this example of Kevin Owens’ kayfabe is that he was able to take something “in the moment” and use it to frame his character in the way that he wanted to, not with what the audience was forcing on him. It was a fantastic piece of unscripted character building, and the exact thing that’s missing from most of the WWE product nowadays.

Do you get annoyed by NXT audience members, and where do you think Kevin Owens ranks as a WWE superstar? Sound off in the comments section!

[Image via Journey of a Frontman]