Kevin Owens' Performance at Elimination Chamber Will Never Be Duplicated

If you didn't catch WWE Elimination Chamber—or if you haven't gone back to watch it on the WWE Network—you have missed history.

Though Ryback captured his first title in WWE and Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins competed in a very good WWE Championship match, the biggest news of the night was easily the debut of Kevin Owens.

Owens, the current NXT champion and a once highly successful competitor on the independent scene, faced John Cena in his first WWE match.

Not only is Cena the current United States champion; he is one of the most recognizable names of all time. Cena has won the WWE and World Heavyweight titles 15 times. That puts him in some rarefied air.

Clearly, this would just be an attempt on WWE's part to get Owens over by pairing him with one of its top Superstars, right? This would be similar to the way Cena's first match against Kurt Angle went. In that match, Cena pushed the highly decorated Angle to the limit and put his name on the map forever even though Angle defeated him.

Fans had to expect that the match at Elimination Chamber would likely go the same way. Owens would be made to look strong. He'd get all of his offense in and possibly even kick out after Cena put him down with the Attitude Adjustment.

All of that happened. But something else did too. Owens, in his first match on the main roster, defeated Cena. In his first match, he defeated a 15-time champion. Take that in for a moment, and then try to remember how many times that has happened before.

The answer to that is pretty simple—it hasn't.

Sure, other Superstars have been impressive in their debuts, and they've even beaten some of the biggest names in WWE history early in their careers. The Great Khali pinned The Undertaker with one foot on his chest. Umaga dominated Ric Flair shortly after his debut.

Though both of those situations are unique and impressive, neither man did it in his very first match. This is why Owens' accomplishment could easily go unmatched. 

The list of Superstars who held the WWE and World Heavyweight title a combined 15 times isn't very long. In fact, Flair is the only guy who has more. 

Most of the Superstars who are high on that list—Edge (11), Hulk Hogan (12) and Triple H (13)—will likely never have another title reign. The only guy who could approach Cena's 15 reigns any time in the near future would be Randy Orton, who has 12 combined title reigns.

A lot would still need to happen for Orton to win the title three more times and then lose to a debuting Superstar. It's not impossible but highly unlikely. That is what makes what Owens did so special. His debut match should be remembered for many years as a result.

Top Superstars and established names have gone down before in order to enhance the career of the Superstar whom WWE is putting over. Fandango beat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania in his first match. Brock Lesnar crushed The Rock at SummerSlam in his rookie year.

Still, none of that compares to what Owens did on Sunday.

"

#HolyBalls I still cannot believe @FightOwensFight beat @JohnCena #WWEChamber

— Gene Okerlund (@TheGeneOkerlund) June 1, 2015"

Just as impressive as the feat itself was the manner in which Owens earned the victory. He had to have used some sort of underhanded tactic if he pinned Cena on a pay-per-view, right? That wasn't the case at all. Not only did Owens win the match, but he beat Cena cleanly.

Putting everything into perspective, Owens got a clean victory over a 15-time champion who is still the biggest name in the company. Is there any chance that ever happens again?

What Owens accomplished at Elimination Chamber was not only impressive; it was monumental. This is the kind of match that helps shape an entire career, the same way it did for Cena when he faced Angle back in June of 2002.

Regardless of your feelings toward either Owens or Cena, you can't overlook the result of this match. By defeating a 15-time champion in his debut match, Owens accomplished an extraordinary feat the likes of which many wrestling fans will almost certainly never see again.