This Sunday, a WWE ring will hold a title match that many fans thought they might never see. Aside from a rare bout on Raw, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles have not fought much since coming to WWE. However, this Sunday at WWE Backlash, Owens and Styles will see a proper pay-per-view title match. Owens will be defending his United States Championship in one of the most anticipated matches on the card. In March of 2016, Owens and Styles fought in a relatively short match on the red brand, which was a crowd-pleaser. If that got the crowd into it, what will happen between these two in a longer title match? Additionally, what should happen? Let’s take a look.
WWE Backlash Preview: Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
The Case for Owens
As of late, Kevin Owens has been red-hot. However, he has also been floundering around a bit. Since the Superstar Shake-Up, Owens hasn’t had much today. However, this feud with AJ Styles could really re-ignite his character. He can only face Sami Zayn so many times, guys. But really, his case to win this match relies heavily on him getting his storyline back on track.
If WWE really lets Owens run with this title for a while, he could be acting like John Cena. Remember when Cena was United States Champion? He brought prestige and honor back to the belt, holding an open challenge every week. Now, Owens definitely is more heelish than Cena, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have the same effect. If WWE successfully turns Owens into an unbeatable monster, the belt will gain some serious respect. I mean, that’s basically how booking works. Long title reigns, if done right, can serious help the belt and its owner. Fortunately for Kevin Owens, he seems like a great candidate for a long title reign.
The Case for Styles
There are very few people that would argue with you in saying that AJ Styles is the best wrestler on the planet. In that case, the WWE should treat him as such. Styles had a great “rookie” year in 2016, holding the WWE Championship for a good part of the year. Additionally, he teamed with Chris Jericho early last year. Honestly, I’m surprised that that hasn’t been brought into the feud between him and Owens. Either way, the backbone of Styles’s case is his amazing reputation.
Unlike most WWE signees (such as Kevin Owens), Styles went straight the main roster. Honestly, WWE knows what they have in Styles; a guy that can carry the company. Again, this goes back to the Cena situation. Both of those wrestlers can carry a promotion on their shoulders. If WWE wants to fans to continually respect Styles as a force in their company, they will put this belt back on him. Perhaps whether or not they should do that is a different story, but the fact remains.
Final Prediction
This match-up should undoubtedly excite fans. Two of WWE’s best going at it for the United States Championship. Honestly, this match has Match of the Night potential; it’s actually probably the favorite. But in making this prediction, I can’t seem to get past one thing. AJ Styles can get by on just his reputation alone; maybe Kevin Owens can’t (yet). Even the most casual fan can see that Styles is a bit above nearly everyone else in WWE. However, in WWE’s eyes, they might have trouble seeing Kevin Owens the same way. By that logic, Kevin Owens should retain his United States Championship this Sunday. This match at WWE Backlash should be truly epic, and fans should definitely be looking forward to it.
