From the WWE Rumor Mill: The AJ Styles-Kevin Owens finish was not botched; WWE decided the winner after Battleground had started
What's the story?
Kevin Owens reclaimed the United States Championship from AJ Styles at WWE Battleground but not without a hint of controversy.
The former champion and Styles both seemed to have their shoulders pinned, but the referee declared Owens the winner, and The Prizefighter’s music was also played as Styles was left to rue his loss.
Cageside Seats now claims that the decision to announce KO as the winner was taken after the show started.
In case you didn't know...
Owens and Styles have been going at each other for a while, and the match at Battleground was exceptional, except for the finish.
KO might have picked up the title, but there are many who aren’t pleased with how the exciting match actually ended.
The heart of the matter
The report also added that KO was chosen as the winner as AJ was favoured by the bookies and “smart money” came in to back the champion going into Battleground.
For those who were suggesting that this was a botched finish, it is also reported that KO’s music was cued and Styles remained in the ring after the loss to sell the finish to the WWE Universe.
What's next?
There is no doubt that another Styles-Owens match will take place; in all probability, these two Superstars will lock horns at SummerSlam on 20 August.
Author's take
The WWE needs to understand that controversial finishes don't really help the Superstars involved, and they lead to many questions from the fans.
If they wanted KO to win the title, he could have just hit a couple of Powerbombs on Styles, or he could have used the belt on the champion when the referee was down.
That would have sold the story better and ensured Owens continued being a heel while the fans got behind Styles after he lost the title.
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