WWE Reportedly Changed The Finish Of Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens After Referee Mistake

The finish to SmackDown’s main event was reportedly meant to be slightly different.

On the September 18 edition of SmackDown, Sami Zayn put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against his career rival and former tag partner Kevin Owens. However, many fans were slightly taken out of the action when, after CM Punk struck “The Prizefighter” with the belt, there appeared to be some confusion as Zayn’s pinfall attempt was awkwardly stopped. With commentary suggesting Owens had barely kicked out, the champion nailed a Helluva Kick for the decisive fall, and more has now emerged on how the finish was changed on the fly.

According to an update from Fightful Select, it’s believed the finish to Owens vs. Zayn was changed when the referee didn’t call for the bell as planned.

“In speaking to WWE sources, they claimed that Owens was never supposed to kick out after the belt shot. The match was to end after that, but after the ref didn’t call for the bell, the finish had to be changed.”

-Fightful Select

Having escaped SmackDown with a win, we now know that Sami Zayn’s second Undisputed WWE Championship reign will be longer than his first, which infamously lasted nine days. In fact, the current champion recently spoke on how he feels capturing the gold for the second time legitimised his first. You can read more on his comments here.

The blue brand’s roster is certainly stacked, and Zayn isn’t without challengers moving forward. To open SmackDown, Johnny Gargano staked his claim to a title shot, while Nick Aldis maintained that CM Punk was owed a rematch. On top of that, it likely won’t be long before both Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton re-enter the title picture.

For more WWE news, you can click here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the ending to last week’s SmackDown as soon as we hear more.