Kevin Owens is undoubtedly one of the best in-ring workers on the current WWE roster. He's been an active competitor for over two decades, and his passion for the sport remains the same as it was when he first started wrestling at the age of 16.
He made his WWE debut in 2014, and prior to that, he worked extensively throughout the independent circuit and for other major promotions like ROH under the name Kevin Steen. He's won several championships outside over the years and has stepped in the ring with the best talents in the business. With that said, let's take a look at Kevin Owens' ten best matches before he signed with WWE.
10 Kevin Owens vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - ROH/NJPW War Of The Worlds 2014
First on the list is Owens' match against Shinsuke Nakamura at the 2014 War of the Worlds PPV co-produced by Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
It was the first time Owens and Nakamura competed against each other in a one-on-one match, and the fans had high expectations for the contest. Nakamura was the IWGP Intercontinental Champion at the time, but the bout was a non-title match, and Owens looked to make a statement against the Japanese legend. Owens put on a tough fight against Nakamura but lost after taking the latter's finishing move for the third time.
9 Kevin Owens vs. Steve Corino - ROH Final Battle 2011
It's a known fact that Kevin Owens has won multiple tag team championships with Sami Zayn in his El Generico character in the indies and ROH. However, under Steve Corino's influence, Owens betrayed his partner and best friend and had a lengthy feud with him.
However, Owens' actions proved to be too extreme even for Steve Corino, who persuaded him to sever ties with El Generico. Coupled with some warfare with ROH management over his position in the company, Owens took on Corino in a No-Disqualification match at ROH Final Battle 2011, with the stipulation that if Owens beats Corino, he'll get re-added to the ROH roster. With Jimmy Jacobs as the guest referee, Owens and Corino put on a back-and-forth match that lasted 23:13 minutes, and it was Owens who came out victorious in the end and got his place in the ROH roster.
8 El Generico & Kevin Owens vs. The Briscoes - ROH Driven 2007
Kevin Owens and El Generico (Sami Zayn) took on The Briscoes at the inaugural ROH Driven PPV in 2007 for the ROH World Tag Team Championships. The two teams were in the midst of a heated rivalry and after weeks of tension between them, Owens and Generico got their first shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championship at Driven 2007.
They put on a decent fight against The Briscoes, but the latter proved to be the dominant team and retained the title at the event.
7 Jay Lethal vs. Kevin Owens - ROH 11th Anniversary 2013
Kevin Owens had an impressive 328-day run as the ROH World Champion between May 2012 and April 2013. He defended the title against some of the best wrestlers on the ROH roster, and he put the gold on the line against Jay Lethal at the ROH 11th Anniversary Show in March 2013.
Owens' previous defense against Lethal at the ROH Killer Instinct event in October 2012 had ended in a No Contest, and the two wrestlers looked for a clean finish at the event. After a hard-fought 20:50 minutes, Owens spiked Jay Lethal's head onto the turnbuckle and took him down for the pinfall to retain the title.
6 El Generico vs. Kevin Owens - ROH Final Battle 2012
Sami Zayn, in his El Generico character, has faced Kevin Owens on multiple occasions during their time outside WWE, and their match at the ROH Final Battle 2012 is one of their best outings of all time.
Owens defended his ROH World Championship against Generico in a ladder match at the event, and the two wrestlers put on an entertaining match that lasted 28:07 minutes. Owens wedged two ladders between two standing ladders and hit a piledriver on Generico through them to knock him out. It allowed Owens to climb the ladder and retrieve the belt to win the match.
5 Davey Richards vs. Kevin Owens - ROH Best In The World 2012
Kevin Owen defeated Davey Richards at the ROH Border Wars PPV in May 2012 to win the ROH World Championship. It led to a rematch between the two at the 2012 Best in the World PPV, where Owens defended the title against Richards in a No-Disqualification match.
The match went on for an impressive 21:23 minutes and saw multiple interruptions by others. Owens and Richards took each other to their limits and had multiple near-falls before Owens stabbed Richards with a spike on the family jewels, which allowed him to hit the package piledriver to get the win.
4 El Generico vs. Kevin Owens - ROH Showdown In The Sun 2012
ROH hosted the Showdown in the Sun PPV as a special two-day event in March 2012, and day one of the event featured one of the greatest rivalries in ROH history as Kevin Owens took on El Generico in a Last Man Standing match.
The two wrestlers put on a stellar performance in the match, which lasted over 24 minutes, and El Generico was on the cusp of victory. But Jimmy Jacobs turned on Generico and stabbed him with a spike before hitting him with a steel chair which kept him down for the ten-count, giving Owens the win.
3 Adam Cole vs. Kevin Owens - ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2014
After Adam Cole retained the ROH World Championship against Jay Briscoe in a ladder match at the Supercard of Honor VIII event in April 2014, as per ROH's announcement, he had to defend the title against Kevin Owens at the ROH/NJPW Global Wars PPV the following month.
It was the main event of the PPV, and Owens and Cole put on a great show for the fans and took each other to their limits. Adam Cole managed to hold on despite taking a brainbuster and a package powerbomb from Owens, but in the end, he hit a superkick on Owens to get the pin and retain the title.
2 El Generico vs. Kevin Owens - ROH Final Battle 2010
After Kevin Owens attacked El Generico and unmasked him at the Glory By Honor IX event in September 2010, it led to a one-on-one match between the two wrestlers at the 2010 ROH Final Battle PPV.
It was an Unsanctioned Fight Without Honor match with Kevin Owens' career and El Generico's mask on the line. It was the main event of the PPV, and the two former partners put on a scintillating performance that lasted over 30 minutes. After a series of back-and-forth actions, Generico defeated Owens with a dramatic steel chair shot to send the latter packing out of Ring of Honor.
1 Kevin Owens vs. Michael Elgin - ROH Glory By Honor XI 2012
The 2012 ROH Glory By Honor PPV saw Kevin Owens defending his ROH World Championship against Michael Elgin in a one-on-one match. Owens had already held the title for a long time, and Elgin looked to dethrone Owens to become the new champion.
The match went on for an impressive 31:46 minutes, which saw multiple near falls, including Owens kicking out of Elgin's 360 Power Bomb. The wrestlers then took the action to the top turnbuckle, but Owens managed to capitalize and hit a devastating top rope package piledriver on Elgin to pick up the win and retain the title.