The United State Championship is about to get a lot more prestigious, when kevin owens and AJ Styles start what many wrestling fans predict to be a very entertaining feud on "SmackDown Live." Tuesday’s "SmackDown" episode marked a new chapter for the Blue Brand as several big names on "Monday Night RAW" made their first appearance on their new show.
The post-Wrestlemania "Superstar Shakeup" has really shaken things up as far as the order of power is concerned. Unsurprisingly, former WWE Universal champion and current United States title-holder Kevin Owens made his presence felt right away by proclaiming himself the face of America and the most important champion on the brand.
Owens’ bold statement triggered Styles, Baron Corbin, and another new addition, Sami Zayn to confront the Prizefighter. With each superstar staking their claim as the no.1 guy on the show, general manager Daniel Bryan settled the dispute by booking a triple threat no.1 contenders match featuring Styles, Zayn and Corbin. The winner of the match will either face the winner of the Owens and Chris Jericho US title match at "Payback 2017."
Styles puts up a good fight
The Phenomenal One ultimately secured his date with the eventual US champion with a victory over Zayn and Corbin in another terrific match on "SmackDown." Wrestling News Observer reported that Owens will retain the title at "Payback," as Jericho makes his last program with WWE before taking another hiatus with his band Fozzy.
This sets up an intriguing feud with Styles, who is gunning for his second title since joining the company last year.
Wrestling writers have high expectations of the Owens vs. Style feud because of their reputations as well-rounded in-ring performers and their ability to come up with crowd-pleasing promos. Moreover, the United States Championship belt is going to be the biggest winner in this feud, knowing the competitors are two main event-caliber superstars.
With Dean Ambrose taking the Intercontinental championship to "RAW," bringing the prestige back to the US title is a priority for Bryan and "SmackDown" commissioner Shane McMahon.
What lies ahead?
WWE wants Owens and Styles to face each other for the title over the course of several PPV dates, starting on "SmackDown’s" exclusive PPV event "WWE Backlash 2017." The feud’s main objective is to make Owens look stronger as US champion and keep Styles busy until he’s ready to take on Randy Orton or Shinsuke Nakamura later this year, as reported by Ringside News.
