WWE Roadblock 2016: 3 Reasons Kevin Owens Should Defeat Roman Reigns

The Universal Championship match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns at WWE Roadblock is a must-win for Owens. There is more that will come out of a Owens win versus Reigns.

The main event for WWE Roadblock was set last Monday night when Roman Reigns pinned Kevin Owens in a non-title bout. It came as no surprise considering the rumors surrounding the Raw event. Now that it is set in stone, December 18^th will see if we will have a new champion coming out of the event.

Owens as Champion has proven to be rather complex in recent weeks. It is one example of the instability that runs through the flagship show. On one hand, his reign as WWE Universal Champion hasn’t been as eventful. But on the other hand, his alliance with best friend Chris Jericho is gaining more traction and getting more popular by the week. Three weeks ago, the Championship reign wouldn’t be worth remembering. But now between the Owens/Jericho banter and the great matches Owens has put on during the last two weeks on Raw that has changed.

While Owens has always put his best foot forward, fans are now remembering why he is a force to begin with. Even though Reigns won his match on Monday night, he had a fight on his hands with Owens. The strategy Owens executed during the match shows that he has done his homework and that he is definitely taking the Reigns threat seriously. Fans should expect an intense bout coming out of Roadblock.

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While it looks like that Seth Rollins has turned his attention towards Jericho, who else besides Reigns right now could face Owens? But fear not friends, perhaps Reigns will not be walking out with the gold in less than two weeks. Owens must find a way to win against the juggernaut. For Owens, it is a matter of everything to gain from a Roadblock win. If he loses, it does him no favors on the surface.

The Kevin Owens Show should go on past Roadblock to continue his gaining momentum. It is finally catching on and while there is tension brewing between him and his best friend Jericho, that scenario needs to be saved for later on. A lot can happen between now and WrestleMania, and the booking team must not jump too early when it comes to Owens. But for now, a feud with Reigns can’t hurt the former Prizefighter. He’s already had a great showing last Monday night.

Owens should defeat Reigns at Roadblock, however, he needs to. Let’s list the reasons why.

With the recent performances of Owens on Raw, a win establishes his run as Champion. WWE.com

3. Establishes Owens More as Champion

I said on the last page that Owens’ run as Champion is gaining some momentum after his performances with Rollins and Reigns in addition to his segments with Jericho. Until that point, his reign as Universal Champion wasn’t eventful past the initial win. Call it being a transitional Champion, but for someone of Owens’ stature, his first reign should be much more than that. The former NXT alum has been doing very well for himself since debuting onto the main roster last summer.

Fans tend to forget that Owens has put on incredible performances since then. His battles with John Cena and Sami Zayn are great examples. Then the last two weeks on Raw were nothing short of fantastic. While fans should have no worries about the match itself, how Owens wins will be the key in this matchup. As a heel, he may rely on Jericho or he will pull a disqualification win to keep the Championship. That’s the way it is supposed to go, so if Owens wins, I don’t see it being a clean win.

In addition to that, it may extend the feud or WWE may put the focus between him and Jericho. Jericho’s schedule will come into play when it comes to the future of Owens. If Owens retains and Finn Balor comes back, that can potentially set up for WrestleMania. Owens’ consistent performances and dominant run will be a factor that he is a fighting Champion and that fans will stop sleeping on him. If he can put away The Guy, then it does him more good than harm.

A Reigns win gives fans more incentive to despise him. WWE.com

2. A Reigns Win Hurts Him Further

A collective groan from much of the WWE fans could be heard when the rumors of Reigns facing Owens became reality on Monday night. Even though Reigns put the bug in the ear of fans during Hell in a Cell’s Raw Talk, that’s not to say that is exactly what will happen. As we all know by now, anything Reigns gets a reaction from the fans even if it is negative. One thing is for certain – Reigns can get the fans talking no matter what.

But if Reigns overcomes Owens, then it just hurts him further when it comes to the never-ending battle of establishing him as the top guy. The company has tried time and time again to use the same formula, but the song remains the same in the struggle for Reigns to get over. Essentially it does more harm than good. That’s not to say Reigns doesn’t deserve it. Reigns has done so much and has gone above and beyond to fill the role the company wants him to be in. For Reigns to become a double champion is just what the fans don’t want and it’s greater cause for fans to resent him even more. Even though Rollins was in that position for a few weeks in 2015, it just didn’t work overall at that time.

This could very well be a WrestleMania main event. WWE.com

1. The WrestleMania Factor

With WrestleMania just four months away, now is the time that seeds are being planted for the biggest event of the year. When it comes to Owens, there are a couple of scenarios that can be played out.

First, is the potential to feud with Jericho. This is bound to happen and it could very well happen at WrestleMania. What makes this up in the air is Jericho’s schedule. He is due to record with his band Fozzy within the next year followed with a tour. It isn’t clear when that will exactly happen, though. Jericho is definitely white hot right now, and the company would love nothing more than to have him on the Mania card.

Another factor is if Finn Balor should return in time for WrestleMania. Balor has been doing well with his recovery and rumors have been swirling that he may return in time for the Royal Rumble. If that is the case, then Balor would make sense because he will chase the Championship he didn’t actually lose. It is quite the redemption story and WrestleMania is a great place for that. However, it depends on if Balor is cleared to return to the ring by then. There is always a chance for Balor to return after the Rumble too, especially if a Smackdown Superstar wins the Rumble.

There is also a chance that another Raw Superstar could win the Royal Rumble, or someone such as Rusev may challenge the Champion. Essentially there looks to be more options with Owens as Champion versus Reigns. The Universal Championship is in the process of building up and Owens having a good run with it will only help that.

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