The professional wrestling world was saddened to hear Kevin Owens announce that not only was he going to miss WrestleMania 41, he would most likely miss significant time due to neck surgery.
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While there is definitely hope that he will make a triumphant return, Owens would be a guaranteed WWE Hall of Famer if his career were to end today.
So let’s take a look at some of the best matches in The Prizefighter’s illustrious career with WWE.
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Kevin Owens vs. John Cena – Elimination Chamber 2015
With WWE, Owens had already made a name for himself as one of the toughest wrestlers on NXT, quickly earning the NXT Championship and holding onto it for 143 days.
During that reign, Owens would “answer” John Cena’s United States Championship open challenge and surprise attack the Leader of the Cenation.
This would result in Owens shockingly getting a clean pinfall over Cena at Elimination Chamber 2015, establishing Owens as a premiere talent in WWE.
Kevin Owens vs. Demon Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East 2015
When you’re talking about Owens’ time in WWE, you have to include at least one match from his NXT days, and it doesn’t get better than when he defended the NXT Championship against Finn Balor at Beast in the East 2015.
Owens played the perfect heel to Balor, who took on his Demon persona, in Japan. The match beautifully combined great technical wrestling with big, hard-hitting moments, eventually resulting in Balor taking home the title.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Usos – WrestleMania 39 Night 1
Owens and Sami Zayn have been connected since before their Ring of Honor days when Owens was Kevin Steen and Zayn was El Generico.
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The duo works excellently as a tag team, with their most iconic moment coming when they beat The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 39 Night 1.
WWE recently named the match one of the best in WrestleMania history and for good reason. The match was the perfect conclusion to Owens and Zayn’s feud with The Bloodline.
All four Superstars were operating at the top of their game to create an iconic feel-good moment.
Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes – Royal Rumble 2025
Owens’ time with WWE has resulted in over a decade of consistency and excellence, proving to be a reliable workhorse for the company. This was most recently evident with a devastating ladder match against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Both wrestlers absolutely went after the other. Even though the result seemed like forgone conclusion, Owens made the crowd believe that he could actually defeat the American Nightmare.
Looking back at this match knowing that Owens was injured, it comes across as even more brutal than initially thought.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – All
As was mentioned earlier, Owens and Zayn have a long history. While it made them great teammates, it made them even better rivals.
It’s honestly hard to choose a favorite match because their chemistry is absolutely wild. For some highlights, check out when the duo faced off at WWE Battleground 2016, or their most recent Unsanctioned Match at Elimination Chamber 2025.
In the end, you could choose any match between Owens and Zayn and be completely satisfied.
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