WWE SummerSlam 2015: Superstars Who Deserve Biggest Push Leading Up to PPV
The build for this year's edition of SummerSlam on August 23 is largely focused on two men—Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker.
However, although those two guys dominate the main event spotlight, that doesn't mean there aren't other guys who deserve pushing moving toward one of the biggest shows of the year. Ensuring some of the brightest talents remain on the right track is arguably as big a challenge heading toward SummerSlam as nailing the build for the main event.
Here are some of the stars who should be given a fair share of the limelight moving toward SummerSlam.
Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens' stock has taken a bit of a beating since his surprise submission defeat to John Cena at Battleground, and he would be worthy of another push moving toward SummerSlam.
Many expected Owens to be the United States Champion by now, moving on to the next big pay-per-view with a strap around his waist and plotting his first successful defense.
But that hasn't proven to be the case, and now Owens must regather and almost start again. Therefore, a push here would get him back on the horse without his stock falling too much. Time is of the essence when it comes to rebuilding after a first setback on the main roster—WWE almost completely destroyed Rusev's momentum and should learn from its mistakes with Owens, a guy who still has the potential to achieve big things in a short space of time.
Owens clearly still has a strong rapport with WWE fans judging by his recent reactions on Raw and SmackDown, and the momentum the former NXT Champion picked up during his first few weeks on the main roster can still be capitalized upon.
Picking the right feud from here on out is vital after that loss to Cena at Battleground, and Owens' push should still continue.
WWE still has a future star on its hands, but a backward step or halt in momentum here could be fatal. The push should focus on Owens' dastardly heel antics—he seemed unstoppable when he was given the freedom to interact with Machine Gun Kelly and generally rules like a rebel, attacking people at will on a weekly basis.
That's what helped Owens make such an impact during his first few weeks on the main roster. More of that would only further continue Owens' rising momentum.
Cesaro
When WWE is looking for the right man to pick to square off with Kevin Owens at SummerSlam, they'd be wise not to look much further than Cesaro.
The Swiss Superman is a guy who has made a success of almost everything he's been thrown into. He was the shining light in The Real Americans, his impromptu alliance with Tyson Kidd saw them quickly ascend to the level of WWE Tag Team Champions and now Cesaro is coming good after being thrown in at the deep end as a singles star once again.
He started to cross paths with Owens during his superb match with John Cena on Raw a few weeks ago, and while it looked like Cesaro and Owens would clash for the United States Championship at one point, that will now not be the case. However, it should not matter so much, as both men have the capabilities to make this feud work.
Their recent bouts have been great to watch, and if Owens gets a push, Cesaro should certainly get one too. WWE has proven recently that it has non-title feuds which can work out, and this could be a feud that steals the show at SummerSlam if it's booked correctly.
You only have to look at their in-ring work to see proof of that, and given how Owens and Cesaro have both brought the best out of Cena whenever they've stepped into the ring with him, it seems likely that any meeting between the two would produce an excellent bout almost every time.
What's vital, though, is that they're given sufficient TV time in the run-up to the show. Free Cesaro up on the mic—he's certainly shown he's capable judging by his interview with Michael Cole recently—let him talk more and work on his babyface skills.
That was perhaps WWE's biggest mistake when handling a Cesaro push before. His win at WrestleMania XXX was overwhelmingly the right choice—he had gained a huge level of popularity before that battle royal win—yet in aligning him with Paul Heyman, it took away the chance for him to establish a reputation as a standalone babyface.
Give him some creative freedom and watch the sparks fly.
Dean Ambrose
Arguably the biggest disappointment of Battleground had to focus around the fact that Dean Ambrose was nowhere to be seen.
That's an amazing change in fortunes for a guy who was not only feuding for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in recent months but also looking good value to actually take the title. Ambrose had established himself as the company's top babyface with his unpredictability and affectionate relationship with WWE fans.
Yet fast forward to the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, and Ambrose has once again been caught up in the shuffle.
This can't be allowed to happen to a guy who has such a high level of popularity, and although it looks like he'll be thrust into the feud with Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper, Ambrose simply has to be given a push now to sustain some sort of long-term momentum.
The feud would be a good starting point for Ambrose to get back on the horse again, and teaming with Reigns is certainly something that has worked for him in the past. Helping his former Shield buddy to get one over on The Wyatt Family would give both of them something to work with.
Looking further down the line, he could easily make his way back into a feud with Seth Rollins—whether it's for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship or not—in the coming months, and if WWE invests the right time and interest into Ambrose, he will once again show that he's one of the hottest talents on the roster.
