WWE Has Major Star-Making Opportunity with Kevin Owens vs. John Cena

The rocket that WWE has strapped to Kevin Owens' back has him hurtling toward John Cena, with the bruiser poised to continue skyward after that.

At Elimination Chamber on May 31, WWE has set the table for a debut like no other. In pitting the NXT champion against the United States titleholder, it has the chance to make Owens a made man.

Other wrestlers have answered Cena's open challenge, but none of those men left him flat on his back, taking an impromptu nap on the canvas. None of those men avoided defeat by demanding to get his crack at the gold at a pay-per-view rather than on Raw.

Allowing Owens to cut his own path, to do what others couldn't, would elevate him swiftly and unequivocally.

On Monday's Raw, Cena called out to the locker room, as he does every week. In the past, men like Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett and Neville have come out to fight in this scenario and pushed Cena but ultimately failed. Owens' narrative didn't follow the pattern, though.

He told Cena that he would fight him on his terms. After dismissing the champ's attempt at offering him "veteran advice," Owens sucker-punched him.

Cageside Seats helps to point out just how emphatic a moment it was:

An unproven force knocked over the company cornerstone. A rookie who has yet to wrestle a single match on the main roster stood over and mocked, as Cena has called himself, "the face who runs the place."

This unsettlement of the natural order forced fans to pay attention. Whether one has seen Owens' rise on NXT or not, the statement was clear—this gladiator is special.

Moments later, Owens chatted backstage with Triple H. The Chief Operating Officer liked the idea of Owens vs. Cena. The match was set.

WWE soon made it official, altering the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view's makeup in a major way.

Now comes the next chapter in this unexpected story. Now comes the chance to welcome Owens on to the main roster in such a way that he begins by leaping up the ladder.

As Ric Flair so famously said, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man."

Cena, whether he is in the main event scene or not, has been that for years. He remains the most famous member of the roster. A win over him has more value than any win right now, save for one over Brock Lesnar.

Daniel Bryan's ascent into the marquee match at WrestleMania XXX truly began when he knocked off Cena at SummerSlam 2013. CM Punk's peak came after he defeated Cena at Money in the Bank 2011. Lesnar bolstered his star power by throttling Cena last summer.

Those men had plenty of miles on their odometer before those victories. They were all established veterans.

Owens could score a clean win over the golden boy in his first match on the main roster.

That's unheard of. That's sure to have people take notice, to have Owens come off as far more than just another call-up from NXT.

Credit: WWE.com

It would be akin to Big Show defeating Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his first match with the company. The giant's win that night signaled that he was top-tier material. Owens walking into the Elimination Chamber event and stripping Cena of his title would do the same for him.

Regardless of the result, Owens vs. Cena promises to be a thrill to watch.

Allowing the NXT champ to dismantle wrestling royalty in his opening act, though, would propel him toward stardom, pinning wings onto this bull's back.