Kevin Owens Replacing Rusev in Listings, Officially Advertised for “WWE Battleground”

Kevin Owens will be making his main roster in-ring debut this upcoming Sunday, as he takes on John Cena in a champion vs. champion match at the “Elimination Chamber” pay-per-view. And while many had seemingly thought this would be a one-off appearance for the NXT Champion, developments over the past few days may prove otherwise.

As noted Thursday, Owens is officially advertised for numerous dates throughout the summer. Namely, he is promoted for all “Monday Night Raw” tapings through August, including around the time of the “SummerSlam” pay-per-view. In an update, former WWE United States Champion Rusev has been removed from much of its upcoming advertising, and Owens has specifically replaced him. This includes at WWE Live events.

Rusev was injured this past week at the “Smackdown” tapings, and will seemingly be out for a lengthy period of time.

In addition to replacing Rusev at the live events and tapings, it appears Owens will be featured on WWE pay-per-views throughout the summer. While he teased an appearance at “Money in the Bank,” which will air in mid-June, it seems Owens may actually lead up to “SummerSlam” as well. The NXT Champion is now listed for the “Battleground” pay-per-view in July, adding to the event’s promoted star power.

It is unknown at this time if there is direct correlation between Rusev’s absence and Owens’ new listings on pay-per-views. It should be noted, while Rusev is not currently listed for “Battleground,” he is still advertised for “Money in the Bank.”

Simultaneously, Owens is still listed for several NXT Live events, which could insinuate he will pull double-duty. However, in dates where he is advertised for main roster showings at the same time, there could be conflicts. The NXT events would be forced to run without its champion if he were not there, and he is currently locked in a program with Samoa Joe.

Editor’s Note

Things are about to get interesting. The summer of Owens?

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