Most fans have heard the rumors about Kevin Owens’ contract expiring soon and his rumored departure from WWE. While there’s no way to know how that will pan out, I can only sit and think about all the failed opportunities that WWE could have had were Kevin Owens to stay with the company. To satisfy my own imagination, we examine the current WWE roster and imagine potential feuds that would be very fun to watch.
Since this is dream booking, there will not be any previous WWE feuds listed and no obvious ones like Bobby Lashley now that they are both on Raw. For the purposes of this writing, no roster is unavailable. We have full reign to move the rosters around and create the best dream matchups with the current WWE rosters. We also will not list Kevin Owens vs Walter since that was covered previously. With that said, off we go!
Dream Booking #1 – Kevin Owens vs Cesaro
Okay, so maybe I’m breaking one of my rules right off the bat. Kevin Owens has faced Cesaro in singles and tag team matches before. So what is the difference now? Despite the steady decline the WWE has placed on Cesaro since Wrestlemania and Wrestlemania Backlash earlier this year, Cesaro proved that he can and should be a main event-caliber talent. His skills are significantly different now than back in the mid 2010s when these two last faced one another. I want to see what could happen if you get the best Cesaro against the best Kevin Owens without the shackles of comedy or restricting Cesaro to mid-card levels. It’s time to let him shine and I think Owens/Cesaro would make for a tremendous matchup.
Dream Booking #2 – Kevin Owens vs Tommaso Ciampa
For the life of me, I still can’t understand why Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are still in NXT. I personally don’t care what brand this match takes place, but Ciampa’s ruthlessness and disregard for his own safety will be the perfect matchup against Kevin Owens. I promise I did not get inspiration for this entry from this WWE 2K20 video, but I do agree that this is a true dream match. Ciampa has fought in a lot of different stipulation matches, but I think this one could be a blockbuster in whatever type of match it would be. Whatever you do WWE, please don’t end it in a DQ or a surprise roll-up. One may should come out the winner here, and I don’t have a preference who it is. I just want to see one of the best dream matches I can think of from two of the best performers in the business today.
Dream Booking #3 – Kevin Owens vs John Morrison
I’ve discussed in this series already how much gas Morrison still has in the tank. He has proven he can still go with the best in the business if given the opportunity, and even when not given the opportunity he can turn an average mid-card match into something fans are chatting about on social media for weeks. Unlike my Crews/Morrison suggestion, this one cannot start with a random backstage rendezvous. I would have Morrison come out and sneak attach Owens completely out of the blue. It should be a surprise to everyone, including the announcers. This would be a turning point in Morrison’s mentality away from the meditation gimmick to being pissed at the world and proving to everyone that he deserves a shot at glory in the WWE. There’s no better opponent to prove your worth against than Kevin Owens. If Morrison beats Owens, he proves he is a main eventer yet again. If he loses to Owens, he drowns into the realm of mid-card or tag team Hell – but at least he is amongst good company with Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler. Forget about the story. On paper, these two should have quite the match and the fans would not be disappointed.
Dream Booking #4 – Kevin Owens vs Kyle O’Reilly
If you never saw this in ROH, then you need to. Honestly, I don’t think I really need to justify this one. The WWE should jump all over this one before they miss out on an opportunity like Owens vs Adam Cole (Bay Bay) which could have been match of the night on literally every single WWE pay-per-view in 2021 so far. I want this one badly. Book it!!!
Dream Booking #5 – Kevin Owens vs Edge
If Edge has another blockbuster in him, which I think he does, this one could potentially replace the Edge vs Mick Foley match as the Rated R Superstar’s best singles match at Wrestlemania. This should be a street fight for the ages and both of these wrestlers know how to tell a story that would be personal, heated, and have the fans craving to see the action. This a feud that would be better than Rollins vs Edge. I would suggest a Wrestlemania build up starting at Royal Rumble. Edge is going for a repeat victory and Owens spoils his dream. The story literally tells itself and will last between Rumble and Wrestlemania without being stale or boring. I’m drooling right now just thinking about the possibilities!
Dream Booking #6 – Kevin Owens vs Austin Theory
I love Austin Theory’s presence on Raw. It’s simple, straight forward, and sells to the fans. He has charisma and his in-ring talent rivals most of the big names in the company. I mentioned previously that he would have a great matchup with AJ Styles. I still stand behind that. But before Owens is gone from WWE, I’d love to see him take Theory to the limit. Theory has not been tested fully in a WWE ring and most of his victories have been relatively easy. I want to see him a program that tests his skills in and out of the ring. I want to see his promo skills against a talent like Owens. I want to see him punished in the ring to see how he fights back. Who else can do this better than Owens? Either of these two could be the baby face or heel, but I think Theory is positioned well to transition into a dirty baby face because the fans love him. Of course, this would need to culminate in a pay-per-view match. Give them 20-25 minutes and let’s see what Theory can bring to the table in a longer match. If Owens may be out the door, this is the time to see if you have a future star who can replace his star power.
Conclusion
This edition of Dream Booking the WWE was challenging. I kept thinking of stellar matches I would love to see and a lot of them have already been done, and mostly were done poorly or were so amazing at the time that I’ve literally forgotten them a few years later. Please message us on twitter @ultsportstalk or Instagram @ultsportstalk to share your thoughts and any other potential dream matches that you would love to see with Kevin Owens.
Up Next: Dream Booking the WWE – Smackdown Men’s Singles Edition
