WWE: John Cena May Face Kevin Owens At Battleground Or SummerSlam

World Wrestling Entertainment is contemplating holding off the budding rivalry between John Cena and new sensation Kevin Owens at the forthcoming WWE Battleground, because of an injury to Cena. Initial plans for the rivalry were to pit the fast-rising Owens against Cena at Battleground, on July 19 in St. Louis.

But with just weeks to go before the event, there is speculation that the WWE will hold off the third encounter between the two to build-up anticipation for SummerSlam. “Cena missing Raw made the injury look legitimate, but to prove to the fans that Owens did serious damage, the 15-time world champion should fail his physical before Battleground and not gain medical clearance,” Donald Wood of Bleacher Report wrote.

The 31-year-old Owens has been vocal about wanting to snatch Cena’s U.S. championship once more, briefly capturing it at the Elimination Chamber, merely 13 days after being included in the main roster. Vince McMahon’s gamble of betting on the new face paid off and the "Money in the Bank" rematch is now being touted as the “Match of the Year.” This unraveled after the pair provided intrigue and shock -- especially post-fight, when Owens slammed Cena with a powerbomb at the edge of the ring.

Owens still has attachments to developmental league NXT as its current champion, but his next fight against Finn Balor will be televised via the WWE Network on July 4. All signs point to him losing that match, which would lead to a full-time gig in the WWE.

The Owens-Cena rivalry will surely be milked all the way up to the end of the year, and possibly next year at the Survivor Series. More importantly, Owens’ prominence will convince the top brass at WWE to pluck new talent from NXT, with names such as Blor, Sami Zayn and Charlotte and Sasha Banks waiting in the wings. Watch how the 10-year wrestling veteran Owen catapulted into the spotlight with his shocking powerbomb of Cena during "Money in the Bank":

(YouTube/RaWSmckPro)