Kevin Owens Stuck Due to Creative Inconsistency and More WWE SmackDown Fallout

The July 2 episode of SmackDown Live brought with it the latest build for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, including what appeared to be a babyface turn for Kevin Owens.

Who just turned heel after WrestleMania 35.

After returning from injury a babyface.

The creative inconsistencies plaguing Owens are just one of the major takeaways from a show that featured the latest chapter in the story of Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss and WWE Creative's newfound interest in its midcard programs.

Dive deeper into those topics with this fallout from Tuesday's USA Network broadcast.

Creative Inconsistency Continues to Doom Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens is one of the most gifted overall performers in WWE, yet it has become abundantly clear the company's creative team has no legitimate plans for The Prizefighter, particularly following this week's broadcast.

Owens kicked off the show a heel, hosting another edition of the KO Show. By night's end, he was dropping Dolph Ziggler with a stunner and seemingly reassuming the role of babyface.

Thus far in 2019, Owens has portrayed a hero, then a villain and now, at least on the surface, appears to be a hero again. The creative inconsistency has handcuffed his ability to build momentum for himself and doomed an engaging, compelling performer to mediocrity.

Owens should be headlining events for WWE. He should be a staple of the title picture and a Superstar whose name is synonymous with high-profile matches. Instead, he has spent more time floating around the midcard or serving as a placeholder in title feuds because WWE Creative had no backup plan for him when Kofi Kingston got hot and overshadowed his return from injury and initial babyface turn.

Now, he finds himself involved in a rivalry with Ziggler that should produce in the ring but will do nothing to benefit either competitor in the long term.

That is unacceptable for someone of Owens' skill set and damning evidence of WWE's creative shortcomings this year.

Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss' Story the Best in All of WWE

The best storytelling in all of WWE right now is centered around Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.

The Scot is so sympathetic, an outcast so eager to be accepted by anyone as a friend that she has remained fiercely loyal to the manipulative and conceited Bliss, who is clearly using her to her advantage.

Their chemistry has been superb, and Cross has been a revelation. Her ability to come off as wholly likable while still being blinded to The Goddess' ways has enhanced the story and helped it become better than other, similar content produced by the writing team.

It is a testament to the performers, and their ability to deliver in a relatively high-profile spot, that the program has been as successful as it has been.

The moment Cross finally uncovers Bliss' manipulation and strikes out against her will make for great television and create an enormous star out of Cross, who has been this hidden little gem dating back to her days in NXT.

And equally as important, it will solidify Bliss' status as one of the best heels of her era, something she rarely gets enough credit for.

WWE Continues Its Focus and Dedication to Midcard Storylines

Monday night's Raw concluded, for the second week in a row, with a match between United States champion Ricochet and AJ Styles.

Just 24 hours later, WWE Creative highlighted the tag team division, giving them the main event spot on this week's SmackDown Live.

Not only did Daniel Bryan defeat Big E earlier in the show to continue the rivalry between Bryan, partner Rowan and The New Day, but Heavy Machinery also picked up an enormous win over Owens and Ziggler to cash their ticket to Extreme Rules on July 14.

The emphasis on midcard rivalries not only elevates their significance, it freshens the television product up exponentially. For so long, fans knew exactly which handful of Superstars would appear in the final slot on the card, to the point that it became stale.

Changing things up, and promoting Superstars, matches and stories from elsewhere on the card, allows for disparity within the product. When fans are exposed to one thing for so long, change is of the utmost importance or the audience will disappear in droves.

Fresh faces, fresher storylines and a different show layout benefits everyone involved and makes the tag division or the U.S. title picture appear to be on the level of the WWE and universal titles. A wealth of credible champions and Superstars has never hurt any promotion.