7 Things WWE Got Right At Backlash 2017

2. A Fantastic Countout Finish

aj styles kevin owens
WWE.com

More often than not, a big match ending in a countout becomes a vehicle for frustration. It is usually a cheap way to prolong a title feud, giving the champion a way of losing the match without losing the championship. Kevin Owens beat AJ Styles via countout at Backlash, but you'll be hard-pushed to find a better countout finish in recent wrestling history.

Owens and Styles had a great match, easily the best of the evening, although that was never in doubt. Owens worked on AJ's right leg throughout the match, giving Styles a chance to show why he is considered by many to be the best in the world. AJ's selling of the leg was impeccable, with his failed Phenomenal Forearm a real thing of beauty.

It might be a somewhat niche area, but there is no wrestler in the world better than AJ Styles when it comes to getting caught in things. Owens somehow knocked AJ's injured leg into a hole on the announce table, which Styles subsequently managed to get tangled in wires. KO rolled back into the ring for the cheap countout victory to retain his title.

This was great. Both men looked fantastic during the match and the finish pretty much guarantees more battles down the line. This could well be just what the United States Championship needs.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.