10 Big Mistakes WWE Can't Afford To Make At Roadblock: End Of The Line

Kevin Owens has transitioned seamlessly from feuding with one former Shield member to another, but this weekend’s match with Roman Reigns raises more than a few eyebrows. Roman’s United States Championship won’t be on the line, but Owens’ Universal Title will be, and on paper, KO has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

Reigns can walk out of Roadblock a double champion, but if Owens wins, his situation remains as is. Beating Reigns cleanly would give his reign a huge jolt of credibility, but it hardly seems fair that he’s being made to defend his belt when Roman isn’t. Regardless, they’re two of the roster’s strongest workers, and they’ll likely have a great match together.

Nobody wants to see Roman Reigns as Universal Champion at this point, and giving him both belts would be a huge disaster. He was jeered mercilessly as he stood over Owens’ corpse on Raw, and that’s exactly the reception that awaits him if he wins at Roadblock. Reigns looks increasingly unsalvageable as a babyface, and a clean win over someone as popular as Owens will only deal further damage.

More importantly, a Reigns victory would be a nightmare for the United States Championship. The belt has become nothing more than a prop on Roman’s shoulder since he took it from Rusev, and this will only worsen if he becomes Universal Champion. The Samoan has barely even mentioned his own championship in recent weeks, and he rarely defends it. Reigns becoming double-champion would be the last nail in the US Title’s coffin, and it’d benefit nobody.