PWP Nation’s Zack Heydorn previews the WWE Universal Championship match between Big Cass, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins.
It’s hard to believe that just a mere days after crowning the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, we must already consider who’s next.
The devastating shoulder injury to Finn Balor is of course significant and sad for him, but also incredibly impactful on the state of the WWE. Raw and Smackdown Live have now been split for just about one month and it’s obvious that Finn Balor as the first Universal Champion was going to be a major focal point for the Raw brand moving forward.
With that on the side burner, WWE needs to go in a different direction. A Fatal-4-Way match is set for next week on Raw to crown a new WWE Universal Champion. Kevin Owens, Big Cass, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns will vie for the belt live.
Who should walk out with the title?
Let’s take a look.
Kevin Owens
Now would seemingly be the perfect time to bestow this honor on one of the best wrestlers the WWE has going today. It would provide a shock moment for the WWE Universe on live TV and immediately create a big star that could run the main event scene for years to come. Kevin Owens and his character regularly click on all cylinders and winning the Universal Title would be another topic Owens could run his mouth about week in and week out.
Also, Kevin Owens is a premiere talent within the squared circle that is capable of having five star matches with just about anyone on the roster. This is a no brainer right? Wrong. While Kevin Owens winning the championship would certainly create a nice moment for WWE, it would be just that, a moment. With the way the roster is lined up now, there isn’t a run that Kevin Owens can have. With him as a heel, he’d work Roman Reigns and then, exactly.
Nobody. Without a babyface turn, Kevin Owens just does not have enough suitable opponents to be successful. With a babyface turn being saved for someone else (wink, wink) the time just isn’t right for Owens as champion.
His time will come, but that time is not now.
Big Cass
Cass’s spot in this match is nothing more than a test run for the seven-foot giant. The WWE is looking to see what they have and what Big Cass brings to the table as a potential singles star. He is far too green inside the ring and on the microphone to have a run as the Universal Champion at this moment in time.
However, this is a major opportunity for Big Cass that he won’t take likely. As with most WWE Superstars, the goal is to make it as a singles competitor and win the biggest prize in the game at some point during a career. This is Cass’s first shot at that goal. He needs to hit a homerun. In the tag team division alongside partner Enzo Amore, major weaknesses such as crowd connection, mic work, and general charisma are largely hidden with Enzo picking up the slack that Cass leaves behind.
As a singles star, you need to be the full package. In the coming weeks, Big Cass won’t have and shouldn’t have Enzo to lean on. It’s sink or swim time. So, while Big Cass certainly won’t be winning the WWE Universal Championship next week, his involvement in the match signals trust from the company and a career defining opportunity to prove success for him.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns highlights one of two very likely scenarios for the WWE to pursue regarding the WWE Universal Championship. First and foremost, haters be damned, Roman Reigns is a character that the WWE Universe knows well and can be trusted to deliver solid business for the Raw brand as its champion. Further, he can have stellar matches with anyone on the roster and has two title feuds cued up and ready to go right out of the gate in Rusev and Seth Rollins.
On the flip side, there is a big issue with a move to Reigns as Universal Champion. He still isn’t over enough to have a successful run as a babyface champ. We saw what a Roman Reigns title run looked like and it wasn’t good. Yes, the guy is as over as the WWE would ever want a champion to be, but with Reigns it just isn’t good enough for fans. For Reigns to be a babyface champion again he needs to be ultra over. We’re talking Daniel Bryan heights here. Fans need to be salivating at the thought of him winning the belt and even then he should take the time to get even more over. Roman Reigns can’t risk the fans turning on him again.
So there is the key point. Time.
Roman Reigns needs more time to get himself to that “ultra over” position. The WWE would be interrupting that process if they put the Universal Title on him at this time. With his U.S Title feud against Rusev, Roman Reigns has been able to begin reinventing himself as a babyface star in the WWE. By pulling the trigger now on yet another Reigns title win that the crowd isn’t ready for, the Reigns reinvention not only stops, but also takes two giant leaps backwards.
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins highlights the second most likely scenario and simply is the most effective way to go as the next WWE Universal Champion. We all should be able to agree that Seth Rollins is and should be the flag bearer of Raw moving forward whether he is a babyface or a heel.
The guy can do it all and has proven success in his back pocket because of a historical run as champion in 2015. That said, unlike others competing in the championship match next week, a Rollins win makes sense for him and for the immediate future of Raw as a newly minted babyface or as the conniving heel character he currently plays every Monday night.
Let’s start there.
With Rollins as a heel Universal Champion, he can have the biggest babyfaces on Raw chasing him all the way to WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. This includes Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Brock Lesnar, and even a returning Finn Balor when the time is right. Business will be good with Rollins at the helm and the WWE Universe will get to see classic matches with a variety of stars on the roster when paired with a heel Seth Rollins. Rollins could also have a run as a babyface.
Fans are dying to cheer for Seth Rollins. Right now, Rollins is one of the most hated men on TV and he still manages to secure some cheers inside every arena he performs in. I’m confident the WWE has not missed that and is ready to pull a trigger on a Rollins babyface run when the time is right. That time is now. With Finn Balor on the shelf for the foreseeable future, Raw is missing their top babyface star. It is beyond important to have this person on the roster when the rosters are split. Smackdown Live is cruising with Dean Ambrose and Raw doesn’t have anyone in that position.
It can’t be Roman Reigns at this point so that leaves Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins winning this title, then losing it to a top heel or a Roman Reigns heel, and then chasing the belt to WrestleMania gives the WWE a license to print money.
Make it happen and start it of right with a Seth Rollins babyface win of the WWE Universal Championship.
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