Night of Champions: Kevin Owens will continue to prove he is the future of WWE

Kevin owens looks primed to win the IC title from Ryback at Night of Champions

Professional wrestling got itself in too much of a hurry all of the sudden. Wrestlers burst onto the scene, immediately challenging for the top spot in the promotion, earning world title matches – jumping over established stars – all to create a buzz, hopefully attracting more fans to matches and to prove masterminds like Vince McMahon have found the “next big thing” in the business.

In many cases, those gambles fall short, in the process losing ratings, fan interest and the ability to be taken seriously when the next “next big thing” comes along.

WWE is taking the right approach in building Kevin Owens up as its latest find. After bursting onto RAW after a successful stint as the NXT Champion, Owens lost his bid to become United States Champion in a three-match instant classic with John Cena. But by showing how dominant and agile he can be in the ring and how polished he is on the microphone, he won the battle most wrestlers struggle with – the ability to instantly grab the fan base and make them his own.

That skill alone is half the battle. Now, with Night of Champions a handful of days away, Owens enters his third program (after a solid run with Cesaro) as it looks like he will challenge Ryback for the Intercontinental Title. While it’s a great idea and almost certainly will elevate Ryback’s game, I am not sure putting the IC strap on the rookie is such a good idea, mainly because the wrestler who has held the belt has not made headway with it toward being recognized as the top contender for the WWE World Title.

Even when Daniel Bryan won the title at WrestleMania, he still ahd to compete for bragging rights with John Cena, who captured the United States Championship. Somewhere along the way, which may have happened by virtue of Bryan’s most recent injury woes, the US Title leapfrogged the IC belt for second-best in the promotion.

WHAT?

I’ve said this before, so it is not new news. WWE has failed at promoting the belt as an honor – with the likes of Pat Patterson, Pedro Morales, Tito Santana and The Honkytonk Man all holding it with honor. Title reigns by Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett and The Miz have done little to show respect for its history. Frankly, Ryback has not done much better. Bryan was the real hope to resurrect the mid-card strap. But now, we have to hope Owens can be the man – hero of villain who can bring the IC Title the respect it is due.

Owens’ battle with Cesaro let both wrestlers shine – while it continued to add to his resume of not only facing top talent, but competing at a high level. Owens was never going to win the United States Title as long as Cena owned the strap, but he got over for being every bit as good as the 15-time world champion – if not better. With Cesaro, it was more about competing with one of the toughest wrestlers on the roster.

Ryback is about taking down a champion while making the current champion look every bit as tough as his character should be. This should be the first title reign for the Owens. And believe me, this is the right time and the right opponent to make this happen.