CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After one of the hardest-hitting fights in WWE history, a Superstar stood in the ring and declared “The Champ is here!” It wasn’t John Cena.
NXT Champion Kevin Owens walked confidently into the biggest match of his life against Cena and, to the shock of the WWE Universe, walked out with a career-making victory after demolishing The Champ, picking up the victory with his devastating Pop-up Powerbomb.
Owens should have been under the most pressure he’s ever been, but showed no nervousness as he waited for Cena to enter the ring. The NXT Champion was ready, daring the leader of the Cenation to step between the ropes. He was unshaken as the crowd exploded in cheers, some for Cena and some for him. Owens smirked as John Cena held his United States Championship high, knowing what he was capable of doing to Cena.
Cena quickly gave Owens a taste of life on WWE’s main roster, clobbering the NXT Champion with a big shoulder block. The vile NXT upstart returned the favor with a boot to the gut before pummeling The Champ in the corner. He followed up by showing the ruthless, aggressive offense that made him an immediate success in NXT, clawing at Cena’s face and whipping him mercilessly into the turnbuckles.
Owens kept the match going at his slow, methodical pace, wearing Cena down while continually running his mouth. Cena tried to dig deep and power out of Owens’ smothering offense, but the NXT Champion was prepared to cut him off at every junction. The United States Champion tried to use the element of surprise to end the bout, rolling Owens up for a quick pin, but that only infuriated his rival. Owens retaliated by pouncing on Cena and raining punches on him.
Cena grabbed at Owens’s ring gear, pulling himself to his feet as the NXT Champion reminded him who he was in the ring with, urging him to stay down. However, Cena was resilient, though he was met with devastating blows at every turn. The momentum seemed to turn for the Cenation leader as he hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle and avoided the Pop-up Powerbomb. When Owens finally connected with his devastating move, Cena somehow found the wherewithal to kick out.
Though he was stunned that Cena survived a move that has put many Superstars away, Owens remained relentless in his attack, even showing off his surprising agility with an attempted moonsault from the top rope. The NXT Champion never lost the brash attitude that got him to this stage, escaping Cena’s STF before hitting the Cenation Leader with his own finishing maneuver, the Attitude Adjustment.
That disrespect awoke something in Cena, as he brought the fight to Owens, diving out of the corner with a tornado DDT, following up with a leg drop off the top rope for a two-count. When Owens fought back, Cena found a way to counter his confident rival. Even after Owens brought his brutish, 270-pound frame crashing down on Cena after a top rope senton, the 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion still managed to get back to his feet and turn Owens inside out with a thunderous clothesline to the face.
Though Cena thought he may have had his rival on the ropes after that staggering blow, Kevin Owens showed he was just as irrepressible. The NXT Champion ducked Cena’s next clothesline and caught Cena as he rebounded off the ropes. Owens tossed the U.S. Champion up in the air, caught him and planted him onto the canvas with another Pop-up Powerbomb to seal the victory few thought was possible.
Cameras around the arena captured stunned reactions from members of the Cenation as Owens gloated in the middle of the ring. The NXT Champion grabbed the microphone and made a bold declaration before holding his title high for a worldwide audience to see: “John Cena, your time is way up. My time is now!”
