WWE Backlash 2017: Pros and Cons of AJ Styles Battling Kevin Owens for US Title

The midcard will become the marquee at WWE Backlash 2017 when AJ Styles challenges Kevin Owens for the United States Championship.

A predator and an athletic dynamo will meet in what represents a shift in how things are normally done. The U.S. title bout at the May 21 pay-per-view certainly won't feel like a midcard battle despite that championship's place on the WWE hierarchy. There is more star power at that spot than we're used to seeing.

SmackDown will soon reap the benefits of that unexpected move now that the PPV match is set. 

Styles won a No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat bout in April to earn a shot the U.S. crown. It was thought he might be facing Chris Jericho, but the champ fell before the PPV. Owens dethroned Jericho on the latest edition of SmackDown.

And now the blue brand boasts a feud featuring The Face of America and The Face That Runs the Place, two top-flight performers in their primes. 

Con: Championship Pictures Feel Backward

Jinder Mahal, a perennial loser and punching bag, is in line for a WWE Championship match at Backlash. Meanwhile, Styles is seeking a midcard belt despite being a bigger name and having a better record.

In the process of reinventing a bottom-rung star in Mahal, WWE has let him skip the usual stop in midcard championship territory.

The deviation from standard procedure has turned SmackDown on its head. Randy Orton vs. The Maharajah comes off as a midcard contest while Owens-Styles seems more significant.

There is a lapse in logic here as there's no storyline reason that Styles would be more interested in seeking out the U.S. title over the WWE crown. The whole reason he began his feud with Shane McMahon before WrestleMania was because he felt he got cheated out of his chances at the WWE title. 

And now he's seemingly forgotten about that and has no issue with the previously bottom-feeding Mahal taking the spot he badly coveted before.

Pro: Elevating the U.S. Title

As odd as the WWE picture is right now thanks to the Mahal restoration project, the U.S. Championship scene is bolstered by the level of Superstars it now features.

Styles, arguably the best performer in wrestling today, is vying for the crown. The Phenomenal One is a former WWE champ; Owens is the longest reigning universal titleholder in history.  

Having those stars involved adds to the prestige of the midcard prize, as Ring Rust Radio host and Bleacher Report writer Donald Wood pointed out:

That's a vast improvement over low-card acts battling for the title, which has been commonplace in the past.

As champion, Owens can do for the U.S. title what The Miz did for the Intercontinental Championship—improve its stock. And Styles chasing it brings added buzz and attention to the belt.

Con: Who Loses Momentum?

Styles is on the rise, presumably headed back to the WWE title picture before long. Owens only just retrieved his title. How does WWE choose which of these men falls to the other?

Does Owens' current reign end early? Does The Phenomenal One suffer a string of losses instead?

In Mahal's case, just pushing Orton to his limits will elevate him. High-profile defeats are an improvement over his previous spot. Aiden English's recent losses against Tye Dillinger are actually a step up, too. He's getting more of the spotlight than he's previously received.

In Owens and Styles' cases, though, Styles has been a cornerstone and Owens is poised to be one for SmackDown. 

It's not as if dropping bouts to each other will bury either wrestler, but WWE will have to be creative in how it maintains momentum for both competitors. It has to avoid its typical 50-50 booking too, however, as no one really gains anything with that strategy.

Pro: Ample Talent

It's hard to name two better overall talents on SmackDown right now than Owens and Styles.

Both are clutch in big matches. Both tell stellar stories in and out of the ring. And they showed great chemistry in their previous battles.

Owens emerged from his feud with Jericho looking more merciless than ever. He's just getting started with his promising shtick as the so-called Face of America.

Styles, meanwhile, is so electric a performer that he made a brief rivalry with James Ellsworth a fun ride and composed a show-stealer opposite McMahon at WrestleMania 33. Now going up against someone who can hang with him in the ring and push him on the mic, The Phenomenal One is sure to shine brightly. 

As independent wrestler Gran Akuma pointed out, the rivalry has huge potential:

The path to that clash will have a major plot hole plaguing it and be a departure from tradition. None of that will matter to the audience once the bell rings at Backlash, though.

KO and Styles will make sure folks are buzzing over the U.S. title and their fight over that prize.