As PWMania.com previously reported, WWE veteran Kevin Owens suffered a belt shot from CM Punk during the main event of last week’s SmackDown episode, which featured an Undisputed WWE Championship Match. The referee counted to two, but Owens did not kick out. Sami Zayn and Owens called an audible when Zayn hit Owens with a Helluva Kick to secure the win. However, the WWE Universe noticed that the two-count appeared to be a botch, suggesting a mistake.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, referee Ryan Tran took the blame for the miscue, stating that he got confused. Meltzer noted that Tran is generally regarded as a professional who doesn’t typically make such errors. The decision to crown Zayn as champion was debated, raising additional concerns about the match’s execution.
Meltzer further mentioned that WWE has publicly backed the decision to make Zayn champion, despite some dissenters within the organization who wanted to quell any contrary discussions. He also pointed out that the top executives at TKO are more focused on deal-making than on storylines, indicating they don’t have a strong preference for who holds the championship. Ultimately, it appeared that the referee’s mistake prompted the wrestlers to call an audible in response.
