Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose: Who Is WWE's Best Midcard Champion Right Now?

WWE SmackDown got the better end of the deal during the Superstar Shake-up when it swapped Dean Ambrose for Kevin Owens.

KO has been the more consistently entertaining midcard champion. The man who calls himself The Face of America has killed it in the ring, been excellent on the mic and had the benefit of a superior rivalry.

As for Ambrose, a lack of direction is robbing him of a chance at a far more memorable reign as intercontinental champion.

Ambrose won the IC title from The Miz in January on SmackDown. Owens first snatched the United States Championship from his former best friend Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 33 in April. And after losing to Jericho at Payback, he regained it the next night.

The gold has been the catalyst for a shift in Owens' character as he's grown more grim and egotistical.

The Lunatic Fringe, meanwhile, has produced some fun moments. But his success as IC champ has come in flashes.

Character, Promos

Since claiming the U.S. title, Owens has taken a page from the 2008 Jericho playbook. He's begun to wear suits, turn down the volume of his rants and become more callous and cold.

He's taken to calling himself The Face of America. That has led to a blend of typical anti-American rhetoric and a significant swelling of his ego.

This version of Owens has tons of potential. 

Gone is the wise-cracking guy we saw on Raw. This more vicious megalomaniac could easily morph into one of WWE's best acts.

Plus, KO gets bonus points for his heel tactics at live events. There's something satisfyingly old-school about a heel refusing someone's autograph request by throwing their paper to the floor. 

Ambrose's current character is less defined.

He is kooky and fearless but hasn't much of a chance to show that off. The best recent showcase for The Lunatic Fringe came when he tried his hand at backstage interviewing for a night on Raw.

He talked of wanting to create a program called The Today Show, gave Finn Balor a donut and wandered around the backstage area.

This was the most fun Ambrose has been in a long while. He's too often faded into the background, his unhinged nature not fully explored.

In fact, his shtick often feels like something else entirely. The guys at the Mat Men Podcast, for example, has a different view of his character:

Owens wins this category because his act is fresher and is headed in a clear direction. WWE's writers haven't given Ambrose nearly enough to work with.

Matches

Ambrose's battle with Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 33 fell flat.

It was easily one of the worst bouts of the night. It lacked energy and failed to build on the animosity the two men had ahead of the contest.

In a way, it's a microcosm of Ambrose's title reign as it was mostly underwhelming.

The post-WrestleMania rematch, where Corbin and Ambrose battled in a Street Fight, was far better. The Lunatic Fringe has looked solid in bouts against The Miz and Elias Samson, but none have been all that memorable.

Even though Ambrose has been champ longer than Owens, KO has the better in-ring resume with the title in hand.

The Owens vs. Jericho trilogy surged to a stellar climax. The match where The Prizefighter reclaimed his title and put his former friend out of commission was dripping with drama. It showcased Owens at his predatory, bloodthirsty best.

Following that, AJ Styles stepped up to the U.S. titleholder. The two thrived at Backlash, where Owens' count-out win stole the show.

Brian Campbell of CBSSports.com tipped his hat to both challenger and champion:

The pattern lately has been to throw Owens into tag matches on SmackDown ahead of Money of the Bank. None of those have been excellent. The crowded nature of the upcoming Money in the Bank ladder match has led to some nondescript action.

Still, Owens has outdone Ambrose in the ring thus far. 

Stories, Rivalries

SmackDown has given Owens the very best opposition. He began his title reign in the midst of future Hall of Famer Jericho and is tangling with WWE's best performer in Styles, and signs point to him soon feuding with Nakamura.

That's made it easy for Owens to succeed.

He's trashed Jericho in his absence and bickered with The Phenomenal One. The U.S. title has remained at the center of it all.

The Money in the Bank build has gotten in a way of his feud with Styles, forcing him to share a more crowded stage than focus on his enemy.

On Raw, Ambrose finds himself in a repeat of a feud in late 2016 and early 2017, one that carried over from SmackDown. It's one that has two talented individuals but has been hard to get excited about due to it being a reprisal of something so recent.

The Miz-Ambrose feud hasn't been given much attention, either. It didn't even make the Payback card in late April.

The two will meet at Extreme Rules in a match where if the champ loses by disqualification, he'll lose the title. That was born when The Lunatic Fringe nailed The Miz with a low blow during a title match on Raw.

A.V. Club columnist Kyle Fowle wrote of that moment: "That's all kinds of lazy. It doesn't advance the story in any way, and it makes Ambrose look like a jerk, not an 'unhinged' babyface."

Unfortunately, Ambrose hasn't had much chance to create many images beyond that one. His storyline has not been a high-profile one. And he's had only two title defenses all year, per CageMatch.net.

One could argue that he hasn't maximized his minutes, but there sure haven't been many to maximize.

That's been partly why Owens has surpassed him as WWE's best midcard champ. That and KO's deft portrayal as a disdainful, America-hating egotist.