Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
The WWE Universal Championship was on the line, while Chris Jericho was hung above the ring. A battle that was more of a street fight than anything else saw Roman Reigns suffer a loss to Kevin Owens, thanks to an assist by Braun Strowman. The fight turned on to be more physical than anything else, with chairs and tables being used to enhance the match. The best spot of the night came when a Superman Punch knocked Kevin Owens into 7 chairs stacked up. The champion crashed through and then would be powerbombed through an announce table.
With Kevin Owens out and Roman Reigns inches away from claiming victory, Braun Strowman came out and destroyed Roman Reigns through a table. This gave a beaten Kevin Owens the chance to lay his arm on Roman’s chest and remain the WWE Universal Champion.
Looking at the booking of this match made some sense, but was surprising to see Strowman come out at this specific time. Yes, he was beaten up on RAW a few weeks ago and has been a guy everyone wants to knock down, but I feel like this continues the devaluation of Kevin Owens as champion. I get it, Owens in a heel role does not need to win clean. He may never, but I think he should to further his prizefighter and bad ass gimmick. Kevin Owens came to RAW beating John Cena clean. Now, he can’t beat anyone by himself. I just do not understand it.
Overall, the title match was an excellent bout with the right man holding the title above his head. They made it a fight, a battle that showed very little limitations from both men. I want Owens to be champion heading into WrestleMania, while something better is out there instead of Roman being booed out of Orlando as a champion. Piece by piece, WWE is giving us a reason to invest in some of the younger guys. Kevin Owens steps up every Pay-Per-View and tonight was no different. Also, Roman Reigns continues to be a solid and steady performer.
