WWE SmackDown: Who earns right to face Kevin Owens at Battleground?

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3. Tye Dillinger

Is there any story-driven reason for Tye Dillinger to face Kevin Owens, or receive a United States Championship match so early into his main roster run? Probably not, but it would be a breath of fresh air that follows directly in line with the different booking decisions WWE has been making with its blue brand in recent months.

Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship, Carmella and Baron Corbin won Money in the Bank and Lana spent a while in the women’s title picture, so if there’s anything to be said for this summer on SmackDown Live, it’s that anything can happen.

Not that they hadn’t been doing so a lot already, but recently Kevin Owens, in particular, has been hammering home the “land of opportunity” tagline that Shane McMahon wanted to embody since taking over.

If anyone on the roster desperately deserves the opportunity to showcase his strengths, it’s “The Perfect 10”

If anyone on the roster desperately deserves the chance to showcase his strengths, it’s “The Perfect 10”, who despite debuting to a thunderous response from the WWE Universe after WrestleMania, has been featured rather poorly since.

We’re not suggesting they give the man a mid-card strap right off the bat here. But rather than having him beat guys like Aiden English every so often with absolutely nothing to show for it, a decent showing in a feud with an established star like Owens would do extremely well to paint Tye Dillinger as a man worth investing in.

Fans once shouted “Ten!” at the top of their voices for every referee count in WWE, and the man’s lack of prominence on the SmackDown brand is already starting to have an adverse effect on his connection to the WWE Universe.

Putting him right back in the limelight with a big win in this coming week’s battle royal would do well to put Tye Dillinger back on the right track to success.