How to Maximize Kevin Owens' 2nd WWE Intercontinental Championship Reign

Now that Kevin Owens holds the WWE Intercontinental Championship in his paws, it's time to focus on how to make that title catapult the emerging star.

The IC crown was once clearly a stepping stone to the top tier. The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart and Steve Austin all won that title before winning WWE's ultimate prize. That path hasn't been the norm in recent years, though.

WWE can change that.

Owens is such a captivating figure that it won't be hard to generate momentum for him as champ. He can start charging toward the marquee with that gold in hand, as he did the first time he held it. Owens lost the gold to Dean Ambrose at the Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, making him just one of many recent champs with moderately memorable reigns.

His second one began on Monday's Raw when Owens knocked off Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze and Stardust in a five-man matchup. 

The goal now should be getting the best matches and stories from this reign. Smart booking will open the door for Owens to inject life into an often stagnant title. It will allow him to be the megastar he is poised to become.

Choose the Right Rivals

Owens' opponents will determine what kind of reign he has. If WWE treats the IC title as a coveted prize, marquee names will go after it.

Recent title runs have fallen short because of a failure to do that. Ryback, for one, has plenty to gripe about in terms of how WWE booked him as champion.

He faced The Miz and Big Show as his primary foes during that span. As valuable as both those men are to the roster, they aren't the kind of stars who will create electricity as part of the IC title picture. In Ryback's case, they felt like obvious fall men.

There was no real drama in that story. Few believed Big Show or Miz would conquer The Big Guy.

Owens is set to now face Ziggler at Fastlane. That's a rivalry that needs to wrap up quickly. Those two going at it is not a WrestleMania-worthy match at this point.

They have collided too often in recent weeks, for one. Per CageMatch.net, Owens and Ziggler have battled four times already this year. And since last November, they have met 10 times. 

There is not enough juice to their feud, either. A lack of narrative outside of the ring has held this back.

Owens needs less familiar opponents who can begin new stories and move forward.  

AJ Styles should go after the IC crown. Should he knock off Chris Jericho at Fastlane, he'd set up an appealing, buzz-generating showdown with Owens at WrestleMania. It's a clash WWE fans have yet to see.

Styles has been a hot commodity since his arrival, too, so WWE would be wise to take advantage of the excitement surrounding him.

Randy Orton, once he returns from injury, would be a smart choice, too.

Orton would bring a world championship pedigree to their battles. Having a future Hall of Fame seek out the IC title would aid its prestige and give Owens quite the impressive trophy. 

Jason Solomon of PWMania suggested an NXT favorite as a future challenger:

Zayn doesn't have the star power of Orton, but going after him would be the continuation of a great story. At NXT, Owens betrayed his friend and then battered and injured him as he took the NXT title from him.

Transferring that narrative to the WWE stage is a no-brainer. The story already has momentum, and the bouts are sure to be classics.

Having Owens take on men like Styles, Orton and Zayn will elevate his title run. Going with less intriguing midcarders like Jack Swagger or extending the Ziggler feud will do the opposite.

Give Him a Lengthy Reign

Champions have had little chance to establish themselves of late.

The excitement born from Luke Harper or Dean Ambrose winning the gold didn't last long. In Harper's case, he had just over a month to impress as the IC titleholder in 2014. This year, Ambrose only lasted two months as champ.

It's hard to invest in the latest man to wear the gold knowing that his reign is likely to end at a moment's notice.

Note that when people talk of the greatest IC champions of all time, they often mention wrestlers who held tight to the gold for significant stretches.

When WWE.com staff compiled a list of the 25 greatest intercontinental title holders in 2013, it put Ultimate Warrior, Honky Tonk Man and Randy Savage in the top five. Warrior had two reigns of over 200 days. Savage was champ for over 400 days. Honky Tonk Man holds the record for longest reign at 454 days.

Fans haven't seen that kind of run in a long time. Recent champs are lucky to make the three-month mark.

Champion	Days as Champion
Dean Ambrose	64
Kevin Owens	84
Ryback	112
Daniel Bryan	43
Bad News Barrett	83
Dolph Ziggler	22
Luke Harper	27
Dolph Ziggler	56
The Miz	1
Dolph Ziggler	35

While Ryback had the longest reign on that list, he was out with a staph infection for much of that. As seen on WWE.com, the company hasn't had an IC champ hold on to the title for 200 days since 2011.

Having Owens reach that mark and surpass it, knocking down challenger after challenger along the way, will make him look like something special. It will be easy then for WWE to play up that he's doing something historic.

WWE should use the numbers to accentuate Owens' accomplishment and have him chase legends by refusing to let go of his crown until next year.

Make Him Prominent

The fatal flaw in Ambrose's reign was that WWE neglected it toward the end. 

The Lunatic Fringe began to stray into another story. As Ambrose clashed with Brock Lesnar and WWE teased tension between him and Roman Reigns, the IC title was hardly mentioned. As Kevin Berge of Questionable Critics wrote, "It was clear for a few weeks now that they stopped considering him IC Champ the moment he was in the world title picture."

That lack of focus can't be repeated with Owens.

Making sure that his rivalries are built around the championship makes them more compelling. It gives all his stories an anchor. High stakes will make his matches more dramatic, too.

Beyond that, WWE needs to keep the spotlight pointed on him and his championship to achieve maximum success.

Credit: WWE.com

That means booking steady defenses, giving him opportunities to rant about what the title means to him and offering him chances to force fans to take notice.

WWE should have him defend the belt in an Iron Man match on SmackDown or culminate a feud with a ladder match. The more showcases WWE offers, the more Owens will flourish.

And as a result, the IC title will feel more and more like a holy grail.

Championship history statistics courtesy of WWE.com.