At WWE Roadblock: End of the Line , Kevin Owens could be defending the WWE Universal Championship for the last time against Roman Reigns. It’s been rumored for weeks that WWE officials are looking to make Roman a “double champion,” which means Owens is expected to lose the title to Reigns later tonight. As of this writing, nothing is confirmed, but the result of the match will be very important heading into next year.
The WWE Royal Rumble is just around the corner. It’s being planned as one of the biggest WWE PPVs in history, so WWE is going to book the best card possible to sell out The Alamodome. WWE Roadblock will determine the WWE Universal Champion for the event, but the upcoming feud for the title is still up in the air. There is a lot of speculation about what WWE has planned for the WWE Universal title in early 2017.
The winner of Owens vs. Reigns is going to reveal a great deal to the WWE Universe about what is to come for the WWE Royal Rumble , and then Wrestlemania will begin to take shape soon afterward. There have been a lot of rumors about what WWE has planned for Raw’s top matches, but it is now being reported that they have big plans for Kevin Owens whether he’s the WWE Universal Champion or not by Wrestlemania .
According to a recent report, there are currently two potential plans for Kevin Owens at Wrestlemania 33 as of this writing. Obviously, his dynamic with Chris Jericho has been a big focus on Raw for months. We knew that Jericho versus Owens was coming, but we didn’t know if WWE would be saving it for the WWE Royal Rumble PPV or Wrestlemania . Frankly, it all depends on how much longer Y2J will be sticking around.
It was reported last week that Jericho’s current deal with WWE has him booked on a month by month basis so that he could leave at any time. Fortunately, it seems he’ll be staying through Wrestlemania . However, plans can change, and WWE might move Jericho vs. Owens to the WWE Royal Rumble . The good thing is their match could be for the WWE Universal title or not. Their feud stands on its own after months of build.
Another three months of hijinks between Jericho and Owens could be too much. If that ends up being too much and WWE books their payoff for the WWE Royal Rumble, there is a backup plan. It’s been reported the upcoming match between Seth Rollins and HHH could set up Rollins vs. Owens again for the WWE Universal title at Wrestlemania . Of course, the return of Finn Balor will add another player into the game.
Finn Balor may not recover in time to participate in the WWE Royal Rumble , but it’s being reported that if Kevin Owens retains the WWE Universal Championship through January, he’ll most likely be facing Balor on the grandest stage of them all. The past four months of WWE television would have been quite different if Balor hadn’t been injured at WWE Summerslam and remained the WWE Universal Champion.
Balor vs. Owens is a natural progression of WWE television if the title is still on Owens’ shoulder. Finn Balor will be given a WWE Universal Championship match right away, which will most likely culminate with him receiving his title shot at Wrestlemania 33 no matter who the champion is by then. Balor challenging Owens just makes more sense since he was the one that replaced him.
Ultimately, Kevin Owens is going to be a big part of Wrestlemania 33 next year and WWE has him strongly booked over the next four months of WWE television. The feud with Chris Jericho will be great at any time. Owens vs. Rollins was always high quality, and the backup plan of Balor challenging Owens to reclaim the title he never lost is another storyline worthy of the grandest stage of them all. No matter what happens between WWE Roadblock and Wrestlemania , Kevin Owens’ career is elevating to another level.
[Featured Image by WWE]