Credit: WWE.com
Cody Rhodes successfully retained the Undisputed WWE Championship over Kevin Owens Saturday through admittedly questionable means.
Late in a grueling main event, Owens introduced a steel chair. With two referees having been knocked out, Rhodes prevented the challenger from utilizing it, then proceeded to deliver Cross Rhodes on it. He slid the chair out of the ring to hide the evidence, made the pin, and Charles Robinson counted the fall before declaring The American Nightmare the winner.
The match was great, as to be expected, but the finish was a bit odd.
Perhaps it was intended to further the narrative that “Kevin is right,” but it came across like Rhodes cheating to win the match. First-time viewers who did not know any better might even believe Rhodes was the bad guy in this story based on the fact that it was actually him who cheated his way to victory.
The question will be how the finish is followed up on.
Owens is going to trumpet his version of things, which is that Rhodes is the cheater and schemer, not him. He is going to demand a rematch and probably get it at Royal Rumble. Will he ever actually win, though, is the question.
Rhodes defeated Owens to retain
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The winged eagle version of the WWE Championship is far too beautiful to put back in a vault somewhere. A flawless design from the late, great Reggie Parks.
- Ventura thrived on commentary. There are some who were just born to be a color commentator and The Body is one of them. He surprisingly meshed very well with McAfee and Cole.
- Ventura planted the seeds of the Rhodes match against Gable, and the ankle injury from it, playing a role in the contest. It came to fruition when The American Nightmare completed a tope sucida but came up holding that same ankle.
- Owens mocked Rhodes’ father, the late Dusty. It earned him a Bionic Elbow from the champion.
- Rhodes delivered an RKO to Owens onto the announce table, which did not budge.