Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes and More from the Fighting Mailbag

In the knee-jerk 24-hour news cycle, where stories are recycled as quickly as they're forgotten, Kevin Owens had the best week in professional wrestling history.

Question of the Week: U.S. Title Takeover?

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@ThisIsNasty I see @FightOwensFight losing at EC by DQ but destroying Cena, however any chance they let him take the U.S. Title to NxT?

— Ryan Dunne (@RealRyanDunne) May 19, 2015"

There's always a chance, but I expect John Cena's open challenges to continue for a long time. As of this writing, Owens' match against Cena isn't even for the United States Championship. I think it's better that way because, if it were, I don't think too many people would expect Owens to end Cena's reign and take the title to NXT.

A champion vs. champion match still feels special. After Owens attacked Cena on Raw, it carries more of a personal grudge, which can be just as good as a title match.

Despite their respective places on the WWE food chain, Owens doesn't need this win nearly as much as Cena does. Owens already won by showing up on Raw and laying out the top guy like he owned the place. Through the last few days of WWE programming, it's hard to imagine that even casual fans who aren't familiar with Owens don't know.

I expect some type of cheap finish that protects both guys. Now that Samoa Joe is on board, he may cost Owens the match to further their feud in NXT. Having either lose clean will take the steam off their current title runs, both of which have been protected to this point.

Curb Stomp and Circumstance

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@ThisIsNasty You think the curb-stomp will return? I mean Rollins has avoided doing a finisher he can call his own ever since it was banned

— lukas darski (@lukasdarski) May 19, 2015"

The curb stomp, like almost everything in WWE, is one Vince McMahon mood swing from coming back. WWE has gone out of its way to edit the curb stomp out of video packages in addition to the sudden disappearance, so it doesn't seem like it's coming back anytime soon.

Much like Justin LaBar told me on a recent episode of the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, the curb stomp will likely be treated like the Tombstone—we may see it brought back down the road or at least on special occasions.

It's just too creative of a finisher to go away forever.

For now, I like the idea of Seth Rollins using the Pedigree. It plays into his sellout, suck-up character and is immediately identifiable with a finishing move. While Rollins is with The Authority, the Pedigree might fit him better than the curb stomp.

World Title Gold and Stardust

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@ThisIsNasty will Cody Rhodes/Stardust ever be given a run with the WWEWHC in the future? I reckon he more than deserves a run with it!

— Matty McBride (@MattyMcBride14) May 19, 2015"

Cody Rhodes is in the same boat as many midcarders who went through too many character iterations in a brief period of time. First, he was Cody Rhodes, then Dashing Cody Rhodes, then he wanted to be Dr. Doom, then he went back to being Cody Rhodes, and now, he's Stardust. 

The David Bowie-like onslaught of transformations hurts his credibility as a potential top star, and now, he definitely has a ceiling. Bad News Barrett is going through similar phases. Even though he won the King of the Ring tournament, his King Barrett gimmick is yet another character.

At the peak of his popularity, I thought Rhodes could have been a world heavyweight champion, but in a one-title promotion, the chances of him holding the top title are slim to none.

The Roman Reigns Waiting Game

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@ThisIsNasty Question: do you ever see Reigns becoming world champ? If so, when? #LoveYourOpinions

— Sophia Stanton-Cross (@Cherriasian42) May 19, 2015"

It seems like Roman Reigns is being groomed to be a world champion, but nobody knows for sure until it happens. For the record, I think it will happen. Fans are starting to come around, and even when they feel he's "ready" (whatever that means), there will always be pushback simply because he's the top guy, and that's just the world we live in.

Reigns has yet to have a bad pay-per-view match. In fact, all of them have been good. Much like Dean Ambrose and Rollins, the more WWE gets away from reminding people he used to be part of The Shield, the more he'll be able to grow on his own. 

After coming up short in multiple world championship opportunities, WWE now needs to keep him away from the world title picture until they're ready for him to win the title. It's a balancing act, however, because if they wait too long, nobody will care.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.