Kevin Owens' Road to the Top Must Be a Slow and Steady Process

Kevin Owens has emerged as one of WWE's best all-around performers.  The former NXT champion has become a regular featured talent on WWE's main programming, and every week he continues to impress both in the ring and on the mic.

But despite how much some fans want to see him elevated higher on the card right now, the fact is he should not be rushed.  Owens' road to the top must be a slow and steady process.

This is a marathon for Owens, not a sprint.

KO is the kind of guy that is in it for the long haul.  Immediate success, including championship gold, sounds like a great thing, and fans surely would love to see Owens go that route.  Indeed, he seems to have the work ethic and ability to warrant that kind of focus.

Some might wonder why not do this for him?

But Seth Rollins is still the top heel in the company, and that is a spot Owens could definitely inhabit.  He's so good at drawing heat that he could become the most hated man in the company.  His character is built for that distinction, and he does an excellent job of living the gimmick every time he's on camera.

Owens is absolutely ice-cold, with an intensity in his eyes that suggests he's ready to snap at a moment's notice.  His promos are disarming, however; he's soft-spoken and often shows no emotion.  But that does not stop him from attacking when the mood strikes, and he loathes the fans that may support him along the way.

He is top heel material, and a constant elevation means he will grab that spot eventually.

So until WWE is ready to give Rollins some competition for that particular title, perhaps Owens is best in the role he currently has.  Rollins has earned his spot and is doing a fine job of keeping it; he should not lose it now.

Owens should stay the course as a breakout star on the main roster, a guy that is capable of doing more and needs only to be patient to get there.

That means fans can go along for the ride.  They can watch Owens become fully immersed in the WWE machine, to keep growing as a main event star and learning all he needs to know about the main event scene in Vince McMahon's company.

Part of that learning process involves relevant feuds and compelling storylines, both of which must be present if Owens is to reach the next level.

Cesaro is a great example of a guy Owens needs to work.  Cesaro and Owens have great chemistry in the ring, they are both at very similar places in the WWE pecking order, and the fact is they can help each other.

Working the semi-main event of SummerSlam was a great opportunity for them to shine, and they did just that.  Even though Owens seems to have taken the upper hand in the feud, that does not mean it will stop now.  

Dean Ambrose is a possibility to face Owens.  This could be a very interesting rivalry, as Ambrose can match Owens in terms of character.  The Lunatic Fringe would be the perfect matchup because he would be unaffected by Owens' soulless actions; Ambrose's unpredictability would keep Owens off his game as well.

But for Owens to truly advance in WWE, he will have to face guys further along than he is.  It's important for Owens to get the rub from stars that can help him move up.

John Cena was the first to do that, and though he did not put Owens over in the end, KO's star was a little bit brighter for having worked him.  The next main event guy to face KO could be someone that would be willing to do the job to get him over and when that happens, Owens will be on his way up.

Owens needs a solid foundation in order to become a top-level star in WWE.  That foundation will be constructed over time and as that happens, fans will witness it all.  The process has only just begun.

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