In February 2015, Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn for the NXT Championship by technical knockout. Yes, this match occurred in the same WWE where intentional severe head trauma is strongly advised against. However, for the purposes of getting Kevin Owens over strongly as a threat, it worked. One of the key reasons why Ronda Rousey is a draw is that people know that in any fighting art, the most significant possibility is that one person can hit another person so hard in the head that they're immediately concussed. In fact, that's exactly how Rousey won her fight at UFC 190. Thus, if WWE wants to occasionally get someone or something over as a draw and a threat, knockouts ALWAYS equal money.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.