Kevin Owens made his WWE debut with a strong win over CJ Parker in the opening match at tonight’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution two-hour live special.
In terms of signature maneuvers, it looks like Owens will be adding a cannonball splash to his moveset. He also delivered a pretty intentionally looking cradle shoulder-breaker, and finished off the match with a pop-up powerbomb.
The crowd at Full Sail University was on fire for the debut from the second his name came up on the screen, throughout the entire match and after. There were loud “Fight Owens Fight” and “Owens’ Gonna Kill You” chants.
Near the end of the match, CJ Parker hit Owens with a palm strike that connected right in the face, busting him open the hard way. There was enough blood that the cameras could not ignore it, and he may have suffered a broken nose because of the move. Following the pinfall, the referee (former hardcore wrestler Drake Younger; how’s that for irony?) cleaned up some of the blood, but Owens was clearly not worried about as he celebrated his first victory in the WWE.
Just the beginning. #FightOwensFight pic.twitter.com/DSWiq4BClS
— Mike Killam (@MikeKillam) December 12, 2014
Referee (Drake Younger) patching up Kevin Owens after the match. Busted open the hard way. pic.twitter.com/HizkpLyUIn
— Mike Killam (@MikeKillam) December 12, 2014
And here’s the palm strike from CJ Parker that caused it. pic.twitter.com/f44n35y9EG
— Mike Killam (@MikeKillam) December 12, 2014
