WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Big Mistakes They Can't Afford To Make

Kevin Owens has had a horrendous run as Universal Champion. He remains one of Raw’s most engaging performers, but KO has become a shadow of the Prizefighter he used to be. Since winning the belt, Owens has become a whiny crybaby who can’t win a match without the assistance of his brest friend Chris Jericho, which hasn’t just dragged the Universal Championship down, but also the man himself.

Jericho will be locked inside a shark cage during Owens’ defence against Roman Reigns this weekend, but the gimmick is far from infallible. At TakeOver: Toronto, just a few months ago, Paul Ellering was able to slide a chain down from the cage and into the hands of the Authors of Pain, securing their victory over TM-61. Mick Foley might think the shark cage is foolproof, but that’s simply not the case, and a man of Jericho’s cunning likely has a trick or two up his sleeve.

Not a single Universal Title match passes by without shenanigans, and it’s time to put a halt to the trend. As far as Owens vs. Reigns goes, a clean victory for either competitor is the only acceptable outcome if WWE have designs of making the belt mean something for the first time in its existence. There’s an argument to be made that Owens is the weakest major champion WWE have had since Rey Mysterio, and if he can’t win on his own accord, there’s no point in keeping the belt on him any longer.