Kevin Owens: Full Predictions, Best Rivalries for New WWE Universal Champion

Kevin Owens will be a hugely compelling king of the squared circle, thriving during a lengthy WWE Universal Championship reign.

The lasting image on Monday's Raw featured a triumphant Owens, championship in hand, celebrating alongside a scowling Triple H. A swerve and a surprise choice as the bout's victor has given KO the most precious of opportunities.

Expect him to make sure his name stays on the marquee for the foreseeable future. 

In the Fatal 4-Way elimination match to crown a new universal champ on Monday's Raw, Owens first ousted Big Cass. At times, it looked as if Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns would then take each other out, but instead a returning Triple H upended the contest.

The Game helped Rollins eliminate Reigns before turning on his former protege. Triple H nailed Rollins with a Pedigree, allowing Owens to pounce on a fallen foe for an easy win.

That certainly isn't the way Owens would have dreamed his biggest career win would come, but it won't matter how cheaply victory came. The bruiser's reign will be too memorable, too entertaining to focus on its genesis.

Avenues Born from Alliances 

WWE will be awash with narrative options for Owens' reign.

Triple H's presence sets up the possibility of him to side with Owens and oppose Rollins. The Game may be looking to prevent his wife Stephanie McMahon from taking control of Raw without him. He clearly has issues with The Architect, something WWE will explain in the weeks ahead.

That will allow Owens to be Triple H's right-hand man, the beast at the end of the executive's chain.

As much as some fans will scoff at Triple H standing in the spotlight again, his part in this story will assure that WWE doesn't neglect Owens' reign. The universal title will get plenty of attention as the main focus of Raw moving forward, even if Brock Lesnar returns or there is a squabble between McMahon and her husband. 

And WWE still has Owens' relationship with Chris Jericho to play with.

The two heels have been buddies of late, entertaining as backstage bullies. Their chemistry is too good to scrap the partnership, even with Owens on the WWE mountaintop.

Jericho will morph into more of a manager for the champ. He'll stand by his side and assist him by cheating during matches. Ahead of big pay-per-view bouts, Jericho will take on Owens' rivals before he does.

Flourishing at the Top

Many have called for Owens to take a step forward, for WWE to make him more of a priority. 

That happened in a flash on Monday night. Owens, as Blake Oestriecher of Forbes wrote, "at the drop of a Pedigree, became Raw's top full-time villain."

Owens will make WWE look smart for positioning him there. He has long been one of the company's best in-ring performers. He is stellar at mid-match trash talk. He has maintained momentum regardless of the losses he has suffered.

Now allowed to be the man atop the WWE food chain, laughing at all the peons below him, Owens will produce in a major way.

Against top-notch competition and with WWE Creative focusing on his story, KO's success will mirror Rollins' over the past two years. That means delivering a handful of instant classics on PPV and composing his best promo work to date. 

Owens can make a verbal showdown with a mime interesting. Going up against Rollins and WWE's elite will guarantee sizzling interviews.

Best Potential Rivalries 

Going up against a babyface Rollins is a must.

For one, the story is already in place. Rollins left Monday's Raw without the title thanks to Triple H and Owens. A turn toward good-guy status is expected, as is a quest for revenge.

In the ring, Owens and Rollins would kill it each night. Both men bring a high-octane energy to every bout. Each Superstar seems to bring out the best in his opponent.

Rollins vs. Owens for the next three PPVs will assure WWE some high-quality action at the top of the card. 

Eventually, Owens will have to face Sami Zayn, too. Daily DDT certainly believes so:

Their long rivalry dates back to their pre-WWE days at Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Their chemistry is off the charts. And they are the type of enemies who never truly end their war.

Adding the Universal Championship to their story will propel it and make it fresh again.

WWE also has to give strong consideration to pitting Brock Lesnar against KO. That's a tooth-loosening slugfest waiting to happen.

It's a matchup Owens has long talked about. During an appearance on the Like Father, Like Son podcast (h/t Nick Paglino of Wrestle Zone), Owens spoke of who he would want to face at WrestleMania:

"

I've answered this question a couple of times and my answer is always Brock Lesnar, because I'd just love to be in the ring with him and see what it's like. There's nobody quite like Brock Lesnar, as far as pure strength and viciousness and everything. I'd love to see if I could hang with him and see how much I could hurt him.

"

Lesnar vs. Owens is a never-before-seen matchup with huge potential. And The Beast Incarnate is running out of marquee names to face. Elevating Owens by having him go toe-to-toe with the monster is a no-brainer.

Refusing to Budge from the Throne

Get used to the sight of Owens holding the red leather belt that is Raw's top prize; his title reign promises to be a long one.

WWE is still in the process of establishing the prestige of the Universal Championship. Playing hot potato with the belt won't help with that. The company is better off having Owens hold tight to it for several months.

That may have been the plan with Finn Balor, but his shoulder injury ended his time as champ at just one day. Owen's reign is a restart for the title. The months ahead will be both an introduction to the belt and a statement about KO's place in the New Era.

He is bound to remain champ until at least WrestleMania 33.

Dropping it there would create a memorable moment powered by the hype of WWE's biggest show. That beats the champ falling at Backlash or another lesser event by a mile.

Plus, Owens will be so fun as the indignant, brash titleholder that WWE won't want his time as universal champion to end anytime soon.