Projecting Best Booking Options for Kevin Owens After WWE Hell in a Cell 2015

It hasn't even been a month since Kevin Owens became WWE's intercontinental champion, but you feel that if he swerves the upcoming challenge from Ryback at Hell in a Cell, he will be ready for a fresh opponent.

He successfully defended the title against Chris Jericho at Madison Square Garden of course, but his prime rival right now is The Big Guy. Beat him in his mandatory rematch, and a few more doors could open up for KO as he seeks to establish himself on the main roster.

An explosive first few weeks on the roster set him up for a big tilt at the top end of the card, but for now, Owens' focus is on crafting a successful reign as IC champ. But assuming he does beat Ryback at Hell in a Cell, what's the next-best option after that?

Here are three potential alternatives. 

Cesaro

Cesaro has suffered yet another spectacular fall from grace over the past few weeks.

We've gone from the masses of "Cesaro Section" signs at every single WWE event to his being reduced to losing pointless, inane matches. Right now, he barely has a feud to speak of.

But wind back a few months, and Cesaro and Owens were locked into a feud that had a lot of good things about it. They were both producing some great matches and had mixed it with WWE's main man, John Cena, on a number of occasions.

So why not rejuvenate this feud, and make it for the Intercontinental Championship? You'd instantly have a feud that fans care about, owing to the fact they're two of the most popular stars on the entire roster.

We were even starting to see Cesaro get better and better on the microphone, and if he's given a chance to work with a good talker like Owens once again, it will drag the very best out of him in that regard.

Daniel Bryan

Naturally, this feud is dependent on one major factor, notably Daniel Bryan's being fully fit and cleared to compete once again.

However, if that does happen and the former intercontinental champion can wrestle once more, he and Kevin Owens would be able to produce a rivalry for the ages.

Bryan is well-versed in mixing it up with a whole host of stars of different sizes, statures and reputations. A rivalry with an up-and-coming talent like KO would be great for both men, not least for Owens himself.

Bryan would surely return and almost instantly secure himself as one of the company's hottest talents, without immediately forcing himself back into the world title picture. Such a huge star would be perfect to push on Owens' momentum, and it would also be a nice feud with which Bryan could settle back into WWE life.

He's still owed a shot at the Intercontinental Championship after surrendering it because of his injury, and it's unlikely he'll come back and take on a babyface champion. 

A guy as popular with WWE fans as Owens is would make great booking sense for a returning feud. As mentioned though, the only stumbling block here will be Bryan's being medically cleared.

Sami Zayn

Here's another scenario dependent on Kevin Owens' foe getting fit, but when Sami Zayn is cleared to wrestle, this seems like a no-brainer.

If WWE goes with the Ryback feud for a tad longer than Hell in a Cell, it will start to open up the possibility of Zayn being cleared at a similar time when Owens might need a new rival.

And if you're looking for a feud which has storyline depth, personal vendettas and a heck of a lot of hype, Zayn vs. Owens could be a dream match.

It's a rivalry born out of Owens' betrayal of his former best friend when Zayn won the NXT Championship, with Owens eventually dethroning him and winning the belt.

They've had some magnificent matches during their time at Full Sail University, and the thought of that rivalry being promoted up to the main roster is a mouthwatering prospect.

Throw in the fact that there's a championship on the line, too, and this is potentially a rivalry that could run from the latter part of this year all the way through to WrestleMania.