Rusev, The Beast in the East, Kane and More from the Iron Mailbag

On Monday's Raw, Kane had a major hand in the first angle to feature a beatdown on Brock Lesnar since his return. It was jarring, really, and justified WWE's splitting him up from The Big Show. Or did it?

Kane-Big Show Tag Team?

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@ThisIsNasty should big show and Kane reform again in the tag team division?

— Raheem Mansaray (@johnnymansaray) June 24, 2015"

I think Big Show and Kane are both in perfect roles: Kane as an aging gatekeeper who begrudgingly protects Seth Rollins, and Big Show as an aging midcarder who puts over younger talent. 

I didn't mind Big Show and Kane as a tag team when they were part of The Authority, because they were effective heels and always worked well together as a tag team. But seeing them apart adds more to WWE programming, since it spreads two big-name veterans across different divisions.

I was surprised at how much offense Kane got in against Lesnar on Monday. Hopefully Kane will be a victim of a Lesnar rampage as they spend the next few weeks rebuilding the latter as a monster seeking revenge against Rollins.

Rusev Rehabilitation?

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@ThisIsNasty Q&A: Do you honestly think that there's any hope for Russev?

— Melanie Gomes  (@Melitxix) June 24, 2015"

Absolutely. I'm sure many fans groaned when WWE teased a Summer Rae-Rusev alliance, but I think it could work as long as WWE keeps the relationship platonic. If not, Rusev and Summer are one kiss away from this angle degenerating into Total Divas territory.

WWE seems to have big plans for Rusev. He continues to travel and is used in storylines despite his injury, which doesn't appear to be long-term. The inclusion of Summer Rae tells me Summer is being elevated to Rusev's level, not the other way around.

The one positive of Rusev's inability to compete is that WWE can build anticipation for the match between Rusev and Ziggler that has been brewing for several weeks now. But if Summer Rae and Rusev are truly going to work as an duo, the pressure is on Summer to cut a convincing, menacing promo.

Big Angle at Beast in the East?

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@ThisIsNasty do you see any big storyline developments happening at the Beast in the East Japan show?

— Christian Landsverk (@c_landsverk) June 24, 2015"

I feel like the Beast in the East show will focus strictly on wrestling rather than storyline development. A crowd that predominately speaks Japanese may not understand or react to in-ring segments and storylines as well as crowds in the States.

This show is stacked and doesn't need any bells and whistles outside of wrestling. That's not to say it won't be newsworthy. I see Kevin Owens dropping the NXT Championship to Finn Balor as he makes the full-time transition to the main roster.

The fact that Lesnar will wrestle will also be a big deal, and I can see a minor angle in which Lesnar fends off The Authority to send the fans home happy.

Long-Term Plans for Kevin Owens?

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@ThisIsNasty what do you see as the plans for Kevin Owens long term? (Post Cena feud)

— Hello IT (@DavDav1228) June 23, 2015"

WWE is putting a lot of eggs into the Kevin Owens basket. I don't think Owens has much of a ceiling long-term, but over the next few years he'll be a major star, provided he stays healthy.

As I mentioned on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, Owens is an old 31 and admittedly has been wrestling for longer than John Cena. There's no telling how well his body will hold up with a more rigorous WWE schedule.

If Owens is able to forge a long-term career in WWE, it will be a fun one, and he'll eventually transition into a role as a top babyface. Owens' story of a man fighting for his family is too noble to be a heel gimmick over the course of his career, and fans are already accustomed to chanting "Fight, Owens, fight!"

At the very least, Owens is a strong short-term solution in the main event picture. WWE is right to make him a ubiquitous character, because who knows how long he'll be around.

Question of the Week: The Return of Iron Man Matches?

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@ThisIsNasty Do you think Iron Man matches could be brought back as big feud-closing events? The last one was in 2009...

— Erik Benson (@dabenson8r) June 18, 2015"

Iron Man matches are a tough sell, especially when they're an hour long. They can certainly be fun to watch, and it's a good concept in terms of building to a dramatic finish, but fans struggle to get into these matches because they know they're being held captive for 60 minutes.

I find there's a lot of dead time in a typical Iron Man match, with little reaction to early pinfalls. These matches usually don't pick up until the closing sequences.

If WWE brought back this format, it would work best as a 30-minute match at an NXT live special with two great wrestlers. Former developmental territory FCW used to have the FCW 15 Championship, which saw the incumbent defend the title in 15-minute Iron Man matches. This could be a possibility in NXT as well.

Seth Rollins as a Babyface?

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@ThisIsNasty how and when will Seth Rollins turn face?

— Raheem Mansaray (@johnnymansaray) June 18, 2015"

Seth Rollins appears on the verge of turning babyface. I see his turn being similar to that of Randy Orton, where The Authority grows tired of him and attacks him to garner sympathy.

This isn't the best way to turn somebody babyface, but Rollins is talented enough to overcome it. His in-ring style may too pretty to jeer long-term, but he definitely excels with a heel persona.

For what it's worth, I think it's still too early to turn Rollins babyface. He's been doing a good job getting heat as a top heel. Despite his indy pedigree, he does not receive ironic cheers from the "smart" fans. Chants of "Justin Bieber" and "You sold out!" are still very popular when he is on screen, and he's an even bigger heel following The Authority's recent attack on Lesnar.

I truly feel WWE can take this heel run to the end of 2015 at the very least. 

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.