The latest episode of SmackDown featured the first title defense by Sami Zayn after his unexpected coronation in Mexico. As expected, the end of the match was chaotic, with interventions from Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and CM Punk. However, what caught the most attention was the moment when Sami secured the victory.
The champion covered Kevin Owens after he received a head strike with the belt. KO did not interrupt the count, but the referee did, claiming the challenger had lifted his shoulder. A decision that the fans did not understand. After arguing with the official, Sami executed a definitive Helluva Kick to end the match. Something that, apparently, was not planned, as revealed in a recent report by WrestleVotes on Fightful Select.
"WrestleVotes on Fightful Select spoke with sources about the strange outcome of the WWE Undisputed Championship match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens on SmackDown. They made it clear that the ending was 'an absolute screw-up'", the outlet wrote.
"Owens escaping the three count was not part of the planned ending. According to what we are told, several people backstage were upset with how things unfolded, as they believed that the original idea for the match was not executed as planned. The idea was for CM Punk to hit Owens with the belt, Zayn to cover Owens, and that would be the end of it", the outlet continued.
"We are told that some felt that the improvised ending - with the bell not ringing and Zayn having to hit Owens with a Helluva Kick - detracted from Punk's intervention, which was considered a crucial part of the story WWE was trying to tell", the report concluded.
For now, we still do not know exactly what happened in the final moments of that match and the reason that led the official to interrupt the three count when Owens clearly did not move a muscle to prevent it. The only thing we are sure of is that this three-way rivalry will continue in the coming weeks.
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