Despite being two of WWE’s most exciting performers, the 2017 AJ Styles/Kevin Owens feud never really delivered in the ring. A fine match at Backlash was soured by a dumb count-out finish, while their Battleground rematch will ultimately be remembered for its unfortunate conclusion.
The finish was a complete shambles.
Owens, the challenger, rolled out of a crossface and into a cradle. AJ was supposed to kick out and retain, but the dazed referee counted the 1, 2, 3, and while the immediate speculation suggested the result had been changed on the fly, consensus later revealed that it had been a massive botch.
Styles was supposedly livid with the official afterwards, even though it was entirely his fault. He neglected to kick out, and the belt he’d won just two weeks prior was gone. AJ did regain it two days later on SmackDown.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
