5 Possible feuds for Kevin Owens in 2016

Ever since his emergence in the main roster, Kevin Owens has been a force to reckon withRanging from Wade Barrett to Rusev, wrestlers that have been billed as the next top heel in the company have mostly come up short when pitted against John Cena and left entrenched in the mire of the mid-card, with their momentum damaged beyond redemption.However, despite losing two out of his three high-profile showdowns with the ‘Face that runs the Place’, it stands testament to the handle on his persona that he possesses and his remarkable microphone and in-ring skills, that Kevin Owens has managed to avert the same fate.With Sheamus floundering in the role and Bray Wyatt lined up to succeed The Undertaker as the next ethereal presence in the WWE, perhaps the spot for the next top heel in the company could be ripe for the taking as far as Owens is concerned.Perhaps just a year’s worth of sound booking away from attaining main event status, we preview 5 possible feuds for the WWE’s very own Prize Fighter going forward, following up from what has already been as impressive a debut year as any in 2015.

#5 AJ Styles

A sign of things to come?

Although the curtain fell on the night’s proceedings with Triple H’s triumphant return, all the thunder was stolen by AJ Styles and his much-anticipated debut in the WWE after spending the better part of 2 decades strutting his stuff at various other promotions around the world.

While no one ever realistically expected Styles to outlast the other 29 competitors, his near 30-minute stint in the Royal Rumble match did allow the vocal internet crowd that was present sufficient time to celebrate the arrival of the Phenomenal One into the “big league.”

However, as the maxim goes, all fairytales must come to an end, and AJ Styles was eventually sent careening over the top rope by none other than a banged up Kevin Owens, who had hobbled into the match despite coming off worse in a demolition derby with Dean Ambrose earlier on.

While some Rumble eliminations may appear to be innocuous in their implication, this one was anything but, even as the early fallout rumours from the Royal Rumble event seem to suggest that a program between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles may well be looming in the near future.

#4 Sami Zayn

The ferocity with which Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn went at it in the Royal Rumble match, spun a tale of its own

Another possible lead left dangling after the Royal Rumble event, should the WWE choose to follow it up, was the renewal of the heated rivalry between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens dating back to their momentous feud when both men were in NXT and before that in the indies.

Considering that it was Kevin Owens that put Sami Zayn out of action in a brutal match for the NXT Title – and meanwhile moved into the main roster to challenge John Cena – letting them settle the bad blood once and for all seems to be a cut and dry booking decision as far as Creative is concerned.

With Zayn also eliminating Owens from the Royal Rumble match, the writing for a potential rematch between them is on the wall as and when the WWE think-tank sees fit to promote him into the main roster on a full-time basis.

Although taking into account the injury bug that has run roughshod over the roster, that eventuality may come to pass sooner rather than later; rendering the reignition of the rivalry between the two Canadians as purely a question of when, and not if.

#3 Daniel Bryan

If Daniel Bryan is cleared to make a comeback, a potential feud with Kevin Owens makes sense

If Daniel Bryan is presented with a clean bill of health by the WWE’s head doctor, his return to action would herald some much-needed respite in terms of star power and booking options for the company; a lack of which is seriously hurting the build to Wrestlemania 32.

With Bray Wyatt and his minions possibly having their hands full against Brock Lesnar, and a potential Triple H - Roman Reigns bout odds-on to headline Wrestlemania, the feasible alternatives to work a program with Daniel Bryan, even beyond April, comprise a thinning list, to say the least.

Although one would imagine – given the stark similarities in the career curves of both the ring wizards – there lies a natural dynamic to exploit between Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan should the WWE choose to construct a storyline around them.

But assuming that the company’s reluctance in ushering Daniel Bryan back into the fold stems from the history of concussion-related injuries that he has suffered, speculating about this match-up may have to be shelved until it is confirmed if he can indeed wrestle ever again.

#2 Brock Lesnar

A Kevin Owens-Brock Lesnar match is a mouth-watering prospect for much of the pro-wrestling fraternity

While the match-ups for Wrestlemania haven’t quite been set in stone yet, the early internet scuttlebutt has nonetheless served to delineate a list of possible opponents for each major player in the WWE landscape to contend with, come April.

So although Brock Lesnar has been reportedly pencilled in to feud with the Wyatt Family going into Wrestlemania, the WWE could alternatively avail Option B, and have him feud with Kevin Owens leading up to the mega event.

Always a vocal and enterprising user of social media, Kevin Owens has teased a potential dream match-up against the Beast a number of times in interviews – if not for any other reason – then just to ascertain if he can hang with the hard-nosed, full throttle style of Brock Lesnar.

Whether the WWE eventually choose to make the match, or if they are content to sit on the current plans that are shaping up for Wrestlemania 32, chances are that somewhere down the line, a rip-roaring program between Kevin Owens and Brock Lesnar remains a very distinct possibility.

#1 The Undertaker

If Wrestlemania 32 is to be the Undertaker’s final stop, it could ideally be used to usher in the new generation

The loss of John Cena to a shoulder injury has not only deprived the WWE of their marquee star going into Wrestlemania 32 but has also thrown a monumental spanner in the works as far as scripting a befitting swansong for the Undertaker is concerned.

Through all of the years that they have shared a locker-room, Creative has always resisted the urge to feed John Cena as fodder to the Deadman’s streak or vice versa, purely in hope that the spectacle of seeing two of the company’s biggest draws sharing a ring, could be saved until the final possible moment.

With that moment purportedly arriving at Wrestlemania 32, John Cena’s untimely injury means that the WWE has to revert to the drawing board yet again to conjure up other deserving opponents for the Phenom, in what could be his final bow.

While most of the wrestlers populating the upper echelons of the roster have already been afforded that opportunity, a rising star like Kevin Owens could benefit immensely from one final rub doled out by the Undertaker, before he calls time on what has arguably been the most legendary career in the WWE.