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This past week on Raw, it was confirmed that at SummerSlam, Braun Strowman will defend his Money in the Bank briefcase against Kevin Owens, with the added stipulation that no matter how Kevin Owens wins, he will leave the match with the briefcase.
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This is an interesting addition to the SummerSlam card and provides the WWE with several very interesting options on the night, not least of which is Owens somehow screwing Braun out of the suitcase and then going on to beat Reigns or Brock after the main event.
While Strowman closing the show as champion is what most fans would like to see, Kevin Owens becoming the first ever two-time Universal champion is always something that most fans would gladly accept on August 19th.
The former NXT champion has been in fine form lately, so let's take a look at five reasons why Kevin Owens should win the Universal title at this year's SummerSlam.
#1 The surprise factor
The most obvious reason why Owens should leave SummerSlam with the Universal Title is that it would end the night with a big twist.
WWE’s creative booking has grown stagnant in recent months and having KO beat Braun Strowman for the briefcase, and then cash in on Roman Reigns at the end of the night would be an exciting way to close the company’s second biggest show of the year.
With many fans predicting that Braun will take the title from Reigns or Lesnar at the end of the night, seeing Owens sneak in and snatch the briefcase, and then the belt, would create a surprising show-stealing moment.
#2 A 'happy' ending
The WWE audience let out a collective sigh this week when Roman Reigns defeated Bobby Lashley to secure his match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
The WWE’s relentless mission to get Roman over as ‘the guy’ is still not working and it looks as though Vince is having one last throw of the dice by painting Lesnar as the guy who hates the WWE and its audience.
As we saw in the build-up to WrestleMania though, this won’t work, and Reigns is likely to enter Brooklyn to a series of boos on August 19th.
While fans will be relieved to see Lesnar drop the belt, they will still boo Reigns to close the show, so having Owens cash in on him would be a clever way to avoid that embarrassment.
Despite Owens being a heel, his title victory would likely get a rapturous applause from the live audience and end the show on a positive note.
#3 Something different
The Universal title picture has suffered massively under the reign of Brock Lesnar. Not only has he made increasingly sporadic appearances as champion but he has only wrestled against a specific type of opponent, namely, big men.
Owens winning the belt would allow someone new to enter the title scene, which has been dominated by Lesnar, Reigns and Strowman over the last 18 months and would also open the door for the likes of Finn Balor, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to challenge him for the title.
Owens’ last reign with the belt was marred by bad booking but it was still the strongest Universal title reign we have seen. Booked correctly, Owens could finally help make the Universal title feel important on WWE television.
#4 Building Braun's character
Braun Strowman is one of the most over babyfaces on the WWE roster but his character runs the risk of becoming somewhat one-dimensional.
While fans loving seeing him tip over ridiculously heavy objects, the WWE audience is a fickle bunch and there is always the possibility of them growing tired of the same routine.
At Extreme Rules, Braun’s temperament cost him his match against Owens, and the same thing should happen at SummerSlam. Having Braun chase Owens, who keeps outsmarting him for the title would add something different to his character, and it would also help get Owens over as the sneaky heel that he is.
This would also delay Braun’s inevitable title run and, as a result, make the moment feel even more special.
#5 The master manipulator
Kevin Owens’ feud with Shane McMahon saw the former Universal champion get off to a bad start in 2018, but his move to Raw and subsequent split from Sami Zayn has seen his stock rise in recent months, and his character work at the moment is excellent.
Owens excels at playing the smug, arrogant heel who is one step ahead of his opponents, and having him come out on the Raw after SummerSlam, and explaining that he played the fool to manipulate Braun into putting his briefcase on the line would make for excellent television.
Owens has been toying with Braun since before Money in the Bank and it would be a smart move if he came out and claimed that this was his plan all along.
