Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins: Smart Fixes for Up-and-Down WWE Raw Feud

To make a more consistently compelling symphony out of Kevin Owens' rivalry with Seth Rollins, WWE has to turn up the knob on existing sounds.

The fight for the WWE Universal Championship on Raw each week has had its share of highs, but they have come in flashes. Subplots swirling around the main narrative have sparked interest in this feud. Owens has briefly looked like the predator he was born to be.

WWE has paired two highly talented performers together here, as we saw when Owens and Rollins put on a great match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view last Sunday. But something remains missing.

Owens and Rollins' story of animosity hasn't been nearly as powerful as it could be. Before its climax comes and goes, WWE's best bet is to amplify its strongest elements. 

Implement Triple H

Triple H was the catalyst for this battle.

He attacked Rollins, his protege and right-hand man, in order to clear a path for Owens to win the Universal Championship. This was a thrilling surprise that opened up a variety of potential narrative options.

WWE hasn't taken them.

Triple H has been nowhere to be seen. He has yet to make his intentions clear. WWE hasn't touched on his relationship with Owens.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet asked on Sept. 20: "Why hasn't Triple H explained himself for helping Owens win the title yet? So far, making us wait hasn't been very compelling." Over a month later, there's been no advancement on that part of the story.

Should WWE bring Triple H into the mix, suddenly the story would surge with excitement. It would allow the writers to close a glaring storyline gap. And Owens' character can grow as he morphs into a corporate soldier or a mercenary beholden to Triple H. 

As for Rollins, The Game's presence would only stack the deck against him even more dramatically.

Let Kevin Owens Bare His Teeth More

As funny as Owens and his best friend Chris Jericho have been, the champ would be better off delivering more viciousness than one-liners. Leading up to Hell in a Cell, there was so much focus on banter and The List of Jericho that this story was hard to take seriously.

On the final Raw before the PPV, Owens reverted to the monstrous, unfeeling predator he was at NXT. He bashed Rollins after their match and powerbombed him on the ring apron.

In that moment, Owens was an enthralling figure. Rollins' pain generated sympathy. 

This feud needs far more of that. It needs the version of Owens who tortured Rollins in the Hell in a Cell. It needs the Owens who attacked his longtime friend Sami Zayn.

A merciless Owens would help better establish Rollins as a babyface. And it would add more urgency and drama to a rivalry that has been all over the place.

Owens' added nastiness should include him eventually tearing apart his current bestie, Jericho. There's a whole other narrative to explore there. 

A Partial Shield Reunion

The Architect needs an ally if he is to take down Owens, Jericho and Triple H. Luckily, his former brother-in-arms may be ready to fight by his side again.

At the close of the Oct. 31 Raw, Rollins saved Roman Reigns from Jeri-KO. Once he cleared the heels from the ring, Rollins shared a staredown with his former stablemate from The Shield.

Just that hint of a reunion had the crowd salivating. As ProWrestling.net writer Jason Powell pointed out: "A number of the fans who were booing Reigns were the same people chanting Yes! while Rollins and Reigns were looking at one another after the match."

WWE has to build on this.

A Reigns-Rollins alliance has massive potential. Rollins' proving to the man he betrayed that he's trustworthy would be intriguing. Seeing these two rediscover their chemistry would be, too.

The company could also highlight Rollins' cunning as he directs and coaches Reigns.

Projections

Owens vs. Rollins is set to diverge into a series of new rivers teeming with bad blood.

KO and Jericho are bound to break up, for starters. WWE has hinted at that split with the best friends' bickering of late. 

Rollins is bound for a battle with Triple H. He's more the source of The Architect's anger than Owens is. Triple H was the one who betrayed and abandoned him. Expect WWE to explore that fully en route to a Royal Rumble clash.

Reigns is going to play a key role moving forward. WWE has already booked a Reigns-Owens title match for Roadblock: End of the Line on Dec. 18. And Reigns' partnership with Rollins will blossom, at least temporarily.

Revisiting The Shield, even in an incomplete incarnation, will be fun.

WWE will have myriad moving parts to juggle as the narrative progresses, though. Done right, there's plenty of drama to be had.