Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro: Feud Is Perfect Example of Great Storytelling

Sometimes the best wrestling stories go unnoticed.

We’re not only in the midst of a thriving war between Seth Rollins and John Cena, but also at the genesis of an old-versus-new battle between The Dudley Boyz vs. The New Day.

The best storyline today had a quiet beginning.

It started during one of U.S. Championship open challenges that Cena offered to the rest of the roster. Ceasro answered the call and battled Cena on the June 29 episode of Raw. Kevin Owens, the former NXT champion, was at ringside doing commentary alongside Michael Cole, Byron Saxton and John "Bradshaw" Layfield.

The King of Swing had Cena beat, swinging him around and putting him in the Sharpshooter. Owens hit Cesaro from behind, costing him his chance. Owens then hit his pop-up powerbomb on Cesaro and Cena. Owens didn’t know it yet, but he made another enemy.

Cesaro and Owens have been at odds ever since. It culminated in a highly competitive bout at SummerSlam, with Owens emerging the victor. He crotched Cesaro on the top rope, hit a twisting fisherman superplex from the top turnbuckle and then his powerbomb for the victory.

Their rematch took a different turn but ended in similar fashion. Owens pushed Cesaro off the ring apron, with Cesaro landing ribs-first on the announce table. Owens capitalized and hit his pop-up powerbomb for the win again.

You may think this quarrel started at random, but it’s built up the most athletic rivalry WWE has had in quite some time.

Owens’ feud with Cesaro is a perfect example of great storytelling.

How is this feud booked to perfection? Let’s go over the details of what makes this a must-see rivalry.

First, these two men complement each other’s styles quite nicely.

Cesaro is the stronger one, manhandling anyone in his path. Owens is a big man who at times moves like a cruiserweight. In short, both are more than capable of providing phenomenal moments in great bouts.

Another point is the amount of time allotted to their rivalry. They don't face each other in back-to-back matches. These bouts are spaced out through time, which gives their feud time to grow.

The ongoing battle between Owens and Cesaro gives them importance, building their reputations up as forces in the WWE. Their matches have been nothing short of wars. They both thrive on competition and the need to be better than the other man.

This leads us to an important fact: Cesaro hasn’t beaten Kevin Owens in WWE.

Owens has had the upper hand on Cesaro on three occasions. The first bout took place on the June 18 episode of SmackDown, with Owens victorious. That means Owens has defeated Cesaro on three different platforms: Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view. How could that possibly bode well for Cesaro?

Frankly, Cesaro’s record should be familiar to him, except (for now) he’s just on the other side of the coin.

Cesaro battled Sami Zayn in wars at NXT, but he was the better man on all occasions.

He defeated Zayn in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match on August 21. Their feud culminated at NXT Arrival on February 24 of last year. Zayn fought valiantly, but Cesaro was the victor.

Zayn never got the upper hand on Cesaro. And now, Cesaro cannot get the upper hand on Owens.

WWE Creative should hold off on this payoff for long as possible. It’s all in the timing. Cesaro will beat Owens, but not too soon. Perhaps their feud will turn at WrestleMania 32, with Cesaro finally conquering the bane of his existence.

Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Regardless, WWE has quietly booked Kevin Owens and Cesaro into a classic rivalry. WWE fans should take notice of this imminent competition and look forward to what’s forthcoming.