Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud

The Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins rivalry has stumbled early on, but the storyline isn't a sprint. WWE has time to straighten out the imbalanced narrative. 

Rollins' hunt for the Universal Championship on Owens' shoulders has shown flashes of excellence.

WWE would have a hard time finding two better in-ring performers. The mic work has been strong and will only get better. And in choosing these two men as Raw's headliners, the company is making it clear it is serious about all this New Era talk.

Weak storytelling has held the feud back, though.

That was most evident at the Clash of Champions pay-per-view on Sept. 25 when these two battled in the main event. The background players moved to the forefront. The Architect's on-the-fence alignment undermined the contest.

Owens vs. Rollins is at a crossroads now. Depending on what happens next, the feud will either be a disappointing first chapter to KO's reign or a memorable collision of rising stars if WWE mends the narrative's weak points.

The Good

It's still surreal to see Seth Rollins' and Kevin Owens' names on the marquee. It was only six years ago that those two men faced off as Tyler Black and Kevin Steen for the Ring of Honor World Championship.

Inserting these fresh faces into the mix has created an exciting energy.

Rollins and Owens have stellar chemistry in the ring. They can both bring it on the mic and have already delivered some memorable moments on that end. Owens' verbal acumen has been on display as he has mocked and needled Rollins, with the champ walking the line between badass and comedian.

There is no shortage of potential with this feud, either.

Owens looks as if he will be a compelling villainous champion for the next several months. Rollins has top-tier babyface written all over him. WWE just has to fully position him in that role.

The Bad

Seth Rollins' character remains incomplete.

He is the de facto babyface in this rivalry, but he hasn't yet shed his heel persona. He's still whiny and arrogant and not consistent with winning over the fans.

His remaining in heel-face limbo zapped the life out of the Clash of Champions main event. 

Former WWE writer Kevin Eck noted on his blog: "The fact that there was no legitimate babyface in the match prevented the crowd from fully investing in it. They just popped for big moves. I really don't understand why the powers that be haven't made any effort to get Rollins to connect with the crowd." 

The feud won't take off until WWE fixes that.

On Monday's Raw, Rollins inched toward the right direction when he ignored his rib injury as he tried to go after Owens. That kind of moment will be key to his transition to a full-fledged babyface, but so will a more obvious shift in personality.

We need to see a righteous, gutsy Rollins alongside the cackling bully that is Owens.

The Ugly

The spotlight is in the wrong position in the tale of Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins.

As seen on Twitter, the guys at Busted Open radio said, "The fact is, this story is more about Seth Rollins vs. Triple H/Stephanie than it is about Kevin Owens being champion." They were spot-on.

Stephanie McMahon has been denying she had anything to do with her husband Triple H attacking Rollins weeks ago. Rollins has bickered with her and Mick Foley over the issue. Owens' buddy Chris Jericho has stepped into the battle, most notably at Clash of Champions where he beat up Rollins.

These subplots have taken over the main plot.

WWE hasn't zeroed in on the personal issues between Rollins and Owens. Instead, authority figures are front and center. Rollins' old alliance with The Authority seems to be more important than whatever Owens has going on now.

And when is Triple H going to reveal why he aided Owens? Leaving that question unanswered has left a hole in the narrative.

But judging by how WWE has handled the rest of the rivalry, it's easy to imagine The Game's presence overshadowing Owens.

Projections

This isn't The Shining Stars vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass; there is hope that WWE can right the ship with Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens. And it will.

Rollins will shed his heel persona and slide into a clear good-guy role. He will be the defiant, anti-authority figure who is looking to take down a cheater. That will give the feud new life. 

Triple H will be more involved too. Owens is poised to be his right-hand man, taking over the spot Rollins once held. Owens vs. Rollins will morph into Rollins vs. Triple H eventually, with The Architect bent on destroying his former father figure.

As for the in-ring action along the way, Owens and Rollins will outdo their Clash of Champions effort by miles. WWE is likely to get out of their way and stop overbooking their bouts. 

Then Raw's top dogs will tear the house down, making it easy to forget how underwhelming the early stages of their feud had been. Talent like theirs has a way of taking over.