WWE SmackDown: Who earns right to face Kevin Owens at Battleground?
By Adam O'Brien
WWE.com
1. AJ Styles
Even with the other names on this list deserving their fair shake at Kevin Owens and the United States Title at WWE Battleground, perhaps nobody makes more sense to settle his differences with the reigning champion than “The Phenomenal One”.
AJ Styles put up some serious offense when these two squared off at Backlash in May, but a lot of fans still feel cheated as a result of the match ending under shady circumstances. Although Kevin Owens did technically win the match, the manner in which he did it certainly doesn’t reflect the actions of a worthy champion.
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He took advantage of the electrical wires inside the announcer’s desk to tie up AJ Styles, and attain a count-out victory and slither away with the title.
Now, the two did take a little time apart on the build-up to Money in the Bank, but the feud seems to have continued as of Kevin Owens’ open challenge last week on SmackDown Live. Since he didn’t satisfy the conditions of being from Dayton, Ohio to compete for the title, Styles introduced Chad Gable of American Alpha to take on the titleholder instead – despite not being from the city either, of course.
Styles’ prominent hand in that segment, and this week when Daniel Bryan officially announced the No. 1 contender’s match for next week, all but imply that the former WWE Champion will be eligible for redemption when he potentially outlasts SmackDown Live’s best athletes to secure a second opportunity at the gold.
At the end of the day, this is a match specifically devoted to the US Title, on an episode of the show themed around the independence of that very nation. And with Styles being the only American on this list, that alone should make him the most likely to win and send the crowd home happy on Tuesday night.
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Do you think it’s fair for AJ Styles to get a rematch for the title at WWE Battleground? Or should Kevin Owens be setting his sights on someone new?