The ending of WWE SmackDown left plenty of fans scratching their heads, particularly after the conclusion of the WWE Championship match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
During the bout, Owens took a shot from the championship belt and failed to kick out before the referee counted to three. However, the referee never called for the bell, immediately raising questions about whether Owens had simply forgotten to kick out.
According to WWE sources, that was not the case.
Fightful Select is reporting that Owens was never supposed to kick out after the belt shot. The plan was reportedly for the match to end at that exact moment. However, when the referee failed to call for the bell following the three-count, the planned finish had to be changed on the fly.
That led to the confusing sequence that played out at the end of the match, with the original finish apparently not going as intended.
NOTE: If you have any news tips or podcast recaps that you’d like to send in for us to post (full credit will be given to you), please email me at [email protected].
