AJ Styles Wins WWE US Title At House Show
'Phenomenal One' thwarted Kevin Owens at MSG.
In an event as rare as golden hen's teeth in modern WWE, AJ Styles became the first man since Shinsuke Nakamura to capture a title during a non-televised event. 'The Phenomenal One' shocked an unsuspecting crowd in New York's Madison Square Garden last night by besting Kevin Owens for the US strap, the victory later being confirmed by the company's official website and Instagram account.
Styles had been set to face off with 'the New Face of America' for the belt at the forthcoming Battleground pay-per-view, having outlasted all other competitors during Tuesday night's Independence Day Battle Royal. Apparently that was a twofer, with the would-be champ given an opportunity two weeks early.
Roared on by a capacity MSG crowd, Styles vanquished Owens with the Phenomenal Forearm before raising the gold in front of disbelieving faces.
Whilst still extremely uncommon, non-televised title changes returned as a feature of WWE events last year, albeit both coming on NXT. Samoa Joe claimed his first NXT title on a Massachusetts show last April, and Shinsuke Nakamura wrested the gold from him eight months later when the cameras weren't rolling in Osaka, Japan.
The reasons for this sudden switch in advance of the PPV, and what it means for Styles and Owens' Battleground clash, remain unclear. There is no word as yet about the tie being cut from the card, so it's possible the unexpected title change is designed to motivate interest in the show.
In their press release, WWE urged fans to follow the fallout on SmackDown - suggesting the whole affair is simply designed to pop a TV number. With another two weeks before Battleground set to take place, it's eminently possible Owens could retain the strap to reset the status quo, making it all tediously pointless.