AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens has always been considered to be a dream match for the pro-wrestling fans.
Although, they have locked horns in the past, that turned out to be a one-off match. Now that KO was shifted to Smackdown Live, the creative finally got the opportunity to arrange a full-fledged feud between the two over the United States championship.
The first match between them during this rivalry took place this past Sunday as part of the WWE Backlash. As expected, this match turned out to be the show-stealer of the match. The two in-ring veterans have been able to deliver a classic match which kept the fans on their toes from the get-going.
However, the fans were not happy with the way it ended, for sure. Styles and Owens went to outside of the ring. Upon arriving at the commentary table, Owens put Styles’ legs to a hole and bound his legs with the cables present, there.
It resulted in a count-out finish so that Owens could retain the title. The referee counted up to ten but Styles was hanging from the table and in no condition to escape the grasp and make it to the ring.
There’s a reason behind this controversial finish. WWE creative has already planned a series of matches between the two of them over the upcoming weeks. So, the contest held at Backlash was not supposed to be the one with a proper outcome. This will allow the writers to continue the storyline to make the build ups for the upcoming matches.
Meanwhile, Styles was hurt after getting tripped off on the table in a nasty way and hung between the cable ropes for quite a while. As reported earlier, he was helped by the medical personnel at the backstage area once Backlash was concluded.
Tonight, we will be able to hear further proceedings in the storyline.
As per given update on WWE.com, The Phenomenal One is in doubt whether he would be able to go after the United States championship. Here are the updates from WWE’s official website:
“After the bout, Owens added insult to injury by super kicking a defenceless Styles. After the incident, a visibly pained Phenomenal One wasn’t in the mood to answer questions about the match, instead of wondering about his injured leg and whether it would force him out of action.”