So, Kevin Owens used to be "The New Face of America."
Right? He was, wasn't he?
That wasn't just a mass hallucination, was it?
Because that's gone now, he's not doing that anymore, and it kind of went away without anybody mentioning it.
Now, maybe that's just because he's not the United States Champion anymore, but according to a recent interview he gave to The Argus Leader, he decided to stop using the gimmick deliberately, and for a very good reason:
SmackDown already has too many "Foreign Heels" and he doesn't like following the herd. (Even though, in this case, he technically started the herd.)
“I’m moving away from (the "Face of America" gimmick) now by choice because there’s so many people on SmackDown right now talking about America. Whether it’s Jinder Mahal or Rusev, I don’t like being like other people. When I started the Face of America, there was nobody on SmackDown doing that kind of stuff, and now there’s too many of us. I’m going to go back to being Kevin Owens, and that’s always worked out pretty good for me.”
The most entertaining heel on SmackDown better watch out though--if you stop insulting America, it's a slippery slope, and pretty soon you might find yourself being a babyface.
But if that happens, KO is "up for the challenge."
“I don’t really know as far as any ideas or plans that anybody would have for that. I think I can make anything work. If I can get people to boo me, then I can get people to cheer for me if I want. I’d be up for the challenge.”
Well, if you want to get over as a babyface, Kev, you'd better change your tune regarding Shane McMahon's family being better off if he had died in that helicopter crash. That seems pretty heelish to me.
You can read the entire interview at this link.