Kevin Owens Is Right About Juice Robinson

The following editorial was written by Dominic DeAngelo and does not reflect the opinions of WrestleZone as a whole. We encourage you all to discuss Dominic’s thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post and follow him on Twitter @DominicDeAngelo.

Kevin Owens wasn’t joking a few weeks ago. Although his Tweets have since vanished due to his somewhat somewhat successful Shania Twain campaign, he did state that Juice Robinson is wrestling’s best promo.

It only took two minutes to convince me. Not some ten minute diatribe that’s peppered with buzz words, smiles and “wait your turn to speak” structure while some authority figure moderates. No, Juice punched you and his opponent straight in the mouth. Instant attention. Instant results. (Note: Video below is NSFW)

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/1008757732005109761

The curse words added edgey flavor, but the true pulp of Juice’s promo was full of Crockett Promotions Ric Flair. Plug the opponent, plug the time, plug the place and plug the stakes. Robinson did all that while showcasing himself. And Jay White? As a fringe New Japan fan, I currently know very little about him, but I sure do want to now. Especially when it comes to the Cow Palace in San Francisco on July 7th.

Simplicity. That’s it. That’s all you need to get stars over, or better yet – to let themselves get over. Vince McMahon could garner a lot from this very non-PG promo and not just from its content, but from the untapped potential they aren’t getting from their current day Superstars.

Robinson at one point was an NXT developmental talent as C.J. Parker, a protesting, sign-bearing entitled hippie with a lot to complain about how the fans treated him and the “earth, man!” The eco-warrior was there primarily to put talent over and he did so organically as he could, losing to main roster talent like Tyler Breeze and Kevin Owens. And while he did have free-reign of his character, Robinson wanted more than just mid-card. He saw that brighter horizon in the land of the rising sun and broke away from those familiar three letters to settle under four that were 7,300 miles away.

From my perspective at the time, it was a bold move, but overall this Parker guy seemed like a cast-off, right? Someone who couldn’t cut the mustard and who would likely fizzle out among the rest of the pack of talent struggling to make their way on the indies. And perhaps he appeared that way to the majority of fans. Despite that potential impression, Robinson slid all his chips in on his abilities, on himself, and we’re seeing that risk-taking is starting to beat the house. Robinson was great in his role as Parker, but he’s even better at being his own man that doesn’t have Twitter.

Vince isn’t the only one who should be taking notes from Robinson. The aforementioned current day Superstars would benefit from not just Juice’s words, but his actions. Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and now Robinson have all laid the groundwork that some time away from the Stanford mainstream does a body good to raise the fighting spirit. Being apart of the big show is a goal that should be on every aspiring wrestler’s list, but it shouldn’t even be in the top three. That’s reserved for making money, being happy and headlining said top show.

Robinson is well on his way to all three.