Kevin Owens and the Superstars in Desperate Need of WWE WrestleMania 33 Wins

WWE WrestleMania 33 is a crossroads for Kevin Owens.

How he fares in his United States Championship match against Chris Jericho will be a clear statement about where The Prizefighter sits on the company food chain. A victory at the April 2 pay-per-view would proclaim that he's a top predator. A loss would be a far less powerful declaration for KO.

And Owens isn't alone.

Wins and losses mean more at WrestleMania. It's the event with the most eyes on it, the show that creates lasting memories, where moments become part of WWE lore.

Will WWE go all out in elevating Bray Wyatt, or will he fall to a more established star when it counts? Will AJ Styles nab a victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All, or will a defeat to a non-wrestler damage his aura?

For Superstars like Owens, Styles and Wyatt, a career-making opportunities await. These wrestlers need to come out on top in Orlando, Florida, for the sake of their momentum and that of the New Era.

Kevin Owens

Owens' reign as universal champion ended in a gutting way.

Goldberg dethroned him at Fastlane with little effort. That title bout lasted a mere 22 seconds. Owens came out of the event looking like a pushover, a paper champion.

More than that, WWE made it clear that Goldberg was miles above Owens on its hierarchy.

The former WCW champ was a legend; Owens was a placeholder.

WWE can repair a lot of that damage at WrestleMania. Should Owens leave Jericho lying, towering over his former best friend with his fangs bared and the United States Championship in his paws, that powerful image will boost him in a big way.

KO may not have many opportunities to take down Y2J, either. As Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats pointed out, Jericho is set to tour with his band, Fozzy, in April and May. If he leaves before Owens can siphon some momentum from him, it will be a major missed opportunity.

A year after Owens lost his Intercontinental Championship in a WrestleMania ladder match, it's time to award him a victory at The Show of Shows.

AJ Styles

Styles didn't get the WrestleMania dream match fans were clamoring for. The Phenomenal One is set to take on SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon instead.

This comes after Styles carried the SmackDown brand and thrived as its top champion for months. Sending him into WrestleMania against his boss rather than a top-tier foe is a letdown. To also script a loss for him would worsen the situation.

McMahon is more stuntman than wrestler. He's in his late 40s. He throws marshmallow-soft punches. 

Should Styles lose to him at WrestleMania, it would be a major shot to his credibility.

Plus, Styles is already 0-1 at the big event. As one of the New Era's potential cornerstones, it makes little sense to let him fall in the spotlight again.

Sami Zayn

Despite being one of Raw's brightest stars, Sami Zayn doesn't even have a scheduled match at WrestleMania yet.

The Underdog from the Underground has been busy being other wrestlers' stepping stone. He's been a low priority for WWE since coming up from NXT last year and that has to change.

Zayn is a first-rate babyface, a skilled in-ring storyteller and brimming with potential. He should be charging up the WWE mountaintop, beginning with a victory at WrestleMania.

A win there would help erase memories of his recent track record. Zayn has gone 1-9 in PPV matches since 2016, per CageMatch.

Having Zayn stand tall after a throw-in midcard match would be fine, but if WWE is smart, it will book him to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Outlasting a horde of bigger men and lastly ousting Braun Strowman from the bout would be a shot in the arm for the rising Superstar.

There's no better place to start the story of Zayn's ascension than The Showcase of the Immortals.

Bray Wyatt

Wyatt is the kind of talent WWE needs to build around. He's a haunting poet on the mic, a freight train in the ring and one of the most original and compelling characters we've seen in a long while. 

Yet when it comes to the biggest event of the year, The Eater of Worlds has found himself taking a backseat to bigger names.

He enters this year's PPV 0-2 at WrestleMania after losing to John Cena and Undertaker. Wyatt was also on the wrong end of a run-in with The Rock last year.

He's working on the reverse of Undertaker's famous undefeated streak.

Wyatt has been the monster who eventually loses his feud. Cena, Roman Reigns and Undertaker have all conquered him. WrestleMania 33 is a chance to change that narrative. 

Should The New Face of Fear withstand Randy Orton's challenge, remain WWE champion and walk away the winner after one of the show's biggest clashes, he would be flush with momentum.

WWE has a chance to announce his arrival to the top tier and invest in a young, rising star—someone who could be the foundation of many a WrestleMania to come.

A loss to Orton would tell a much different story. It would tell the audience that when the lights are brightest, WWE goes with the sure thing and the established order. It would signal that Wyatt doesn't belong on The Viper's level, just as he didn't with Cena and Undertaker.