WWE SmackDown: Who earns right to face Kevin Owens at Battleground?
By Adam O'Brien
Smackdown Live. Photo by WWE.com
Who will earn the opportunity to face Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship at WWE Battleground 2017?
On this coming Tuesday’s 4th of July edition of SmackDown Live, WWE plans on celebrating the storied independence of America in the best way it possibly can – by crowning a brand new No. 1 contender to the WWE United States Championship.
The self-proclaimed “Face of America”, Kevin Owens received word this week that on July 23 at Battleground, he will have to put his title on the line against whoever manages to win a battle royal on the blue brand’s upcoming patriotic episode.
Throw in the return of John Cena and the promise of a rap battle between The Usos and The New Day, and we’re in for one heck of a show.
Throw in the return of John Cena and the promise of a rap battle between The Usos and The New Day, and we’re in for one heck of a show.
Although Owens has been engaged in a feud with AJ Styles ever since the two set their sights on one another before WWE Backlash, that doesn’t necessarily mean that “The Phenomenal One” is the only man in this match with a chance here.
After all, there are already a handful of men on the roster with a claim to a title opportunity against Kevin Owens.
Despite his budding rivalry with Baron Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura does hold some pinfall victories over the US Champion from the build towards Money in the Bank, which more than justifies another clash between the two shortly with the title hanging in the balance.
And as we’ll soon discuss, there’s a certain former champion now sporting blue, who has yet to invoke his rematch clause against “The Prizefighter”.
If that day should come on Tuesday, Kevin Owens will have a real problem on his hands when the next SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view comes around.
With this in mind, who stands with the best chance of securing a championship match for himself at WWE Battleground? Let’s run through the list.