WWE News: Backstage Plans For Kevin Owens’ Title Run Going Into ‘WWE Clash Of Champions’
It’s finally Monday, which means that tonight we’ll be getting the answers to the questions that have been on the minds of the WWE Universe since last week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. During the Fatal Four Way, Kevin Owens became the WWE Universal Champion after Triple H returned and attacked both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to give Owens the victory. The WWE Universe simply wants to know why.
The Game’s motivations are the first questions that WWE programming is going to have to answer going into Raw tonight, but there are several bigger questions that are much more important to the future of the WWE. Triple H’s motivations explain why, but not what is going to happen as a result of last week’s actions.
There are several more questions about the futures of Triple H and Seth Rollins’ characters on Raw, but the biggest question is what Raw will look like with Kevin Owens as the WWE Universal Champion heading into WWE Clash of Champions later this month. What do WWE officials have planned for the new champion?
One of the most difficult decisions WWE officials are going to have to make about Kevin Owens’ title reign as the WWE Universal Champion is what kind of champion he will be as a character? For instance, most heels that win their first world title become cowardly heels, cheat, and find ways to keep their titles rather than be a defending champion that will take on all comers and challenges the same way a face would.
On paper, the concept of a WWE World Champion that doesn’t back down from a challenge is a transition to making them a face, but Owens is one of the few that could pull off being a defending champion because his work on the microphone and in the ring would allow him to be a dominate champion.
There is more to get out of Owens as a heel champion who is the best, rather than a cowardly heel keeping his title by any means necessary. It’s an angle that has been done before, and Owens has the opportunity to do something new. WWE’s booking of Owens as the WWE Universal Champion is going to be clear by his relationship with Triple H and who he will defend the title against in his first title defense.
Based on the actions of Triple H from last week, the power play between him, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon is going to be complex, especially when you consider the past relationship between The Game and Rollins. This angle is begging for a Rollins face turn, which is very likely considering his recent run.
WWE television will likely be confirming Owens vs. Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship tonight or next week to start pushing toward WWE Clash of Champions. It’s the natural angle to have heading into Raw’s first exclusive PPV since WWE’s brand split. Roman Reigns should still be a factor in the main event scene, but WWE has a lot of work to do establishing Owens as champion and changing Rollins’ character.
Creatively, WWE officials are going to need to decide how long they want to put off Seth Rollins vs. Triple H because WWE Survivor Series could be a good time for that feud to culminate. The assumption is Owens would still be the WWE Universal Champion by then, so Owens vs. Rollins will need to be booked very carefully because both men need to look strong over the coming months of WWE television.
It’s very important to keep Owens looking strong as champion despite the fact that Rollins will need to keep looking strong as a potential opponent who could defeat The Game one on one. WWE is walking a tightrope after placing the WWE Universal Championship on Kevin Owens last week, but watching such a good angle with intriguing possibilities run its course on WWE programming is going to make Raw must-see for awhile.
[Image via WWE.com]
