What Was Supposed To Happen Between Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn On SmackDown

Sami Zayn successfully retained the WWE Title against Kevin Owens on SmackDown last week. However, the victory didn’t feel as momentous as it should have. There are a few reasons for that, including the awkward ending to the match which has now been confirmed to not be how the final blows were supposed to unfold.

The Awkward Finish Between Owens And Zayn

The contest between Owens and Zayn wasn’t even from the off, with various third parties, particularly Candice LeRae, repeatedly trying to get involved. It was CM Punk who threw the biggest wrench of all into the works, though. The former champ used the title to knock out KO, opening the door for Zayn to pick up the victory.

That wasn’t enough, though, as Owens kicked out at two. This is where things started to feel a little off, and now we know why. WWE sources have confirmed to Fightful that this is originally where the match was supposed to end. Punk was meant to hit Owens with the belt, and the referee would call for the bell, throwing out the match and ensuring Zayn remained champion.

However, if you watch that part of the match back, you’ll see that when Owens gets hit with the title, the ref has his back turned. Since he missed the moment that would have warranted a DQ finish, calling for the bell wouldn’t have made any sense. That meant he, Zayn, and Owens had to call another finish on the fly, which is why the final minute or so of the match felt awkward.

Instead of calling it there, the match continues. Zayn gets Owens in the corner and hits with a Helluva Kick, the champ’s finisher. It’s at that point Zayn covers Owens for a three-count, changing the intended finish of the match, but bringing the curtain down on it all the same.

Will Anyone Get In Trouble For This?

What isn’t clear is how WWE feels about this change of direction and whether anyone involved got a scalding after they went back through the curtain. Yes, the intended person won, eventually, but the finish was very different from the one WWE wanted. When a match ends in disqualification, it’s usually because both opponents need to be protected.

Had things gone to plan, Owens wouldn’t have technically been beaten by Zayn. That may have been a bargaining chip he used when lobbying for a rematch. Now he has, although the cheap shot from Punk is still in play, and KO can still point to it as the reason why he lost to Zayn on SmackDown.