Sami Zayn Costs Kevin Owens WWE Title Shot, Attacks 2 Rivals in Toronto

Q: Will Kevin Owens' emotional Canadian homecoming end in championship glory, or is a controversial finish secretly planned to protect CM Punk?

A controversial finish was the likelier outcome, and that is exactly what happened rather than a clean championship coronation for Kevin Owens. Going into SmackDown, multiple reports pointed to Punk vs. Owens being planned as a one-off, not the start of a long title feud. That strongly suggested WWE would be reluctant to take the Undisputed WWE Championship off CM Punk on free television, even with Owens returning from a 15-month absence, wrestling in Canada, and carrying major emotional momentum with his family in the building. The betting odds on Owens were never a clear sign of a title change because they applied to the match result, not who would leave as champion. A disqualification or countout win for Owens was always a plausible way to give the hometown star a moment without ending Punk’s reign. In the end, WWE went another route to protect Punk: interference. WWE’s own results show Sami Zayn got involved, attacked Owens after Owens refused his help, and the chaos allowed Punk to emerge victorious. That finish preserved Punk’s title reign, denied Owens the feel-good homecoming ending, and kept Owens protected in defeat. So the answer is no: Owens’ Canadian return did not end in championship glory. The stronger reading of the buildup was that WWE wanted the emotion of the moment and the buzz of a dream match, while using interference or another disputed finish to avoid a clean title switch. That proved accurate.

3 articles · Updated · WWE · Aug 22

CM Punk kept the Undisputed WWE Championship in Toronto after Sami Zayn smashed Kevin Owens with the belt, ending a back-and-forth main event with Punk's Go to Sleep.
Owens had refused to use the title as a weapon when Zayn tried to help him, triggering Zayn's turn and his claim after the match that Punk had stolen the championship from him.
2 men were left laid out as Zayn kept swinging after the bell, drilling both Owens and Punk with the title in the show's closing angle.
The result ended what had been billed as a one-off title chance for Owens, who had earned the shot in his home country after returning from a long layoff.