Regardless of the outcome of the Undisputed WWE Championship showdown between reigning title-holder CM Punk and hometown challenger Kevin Owens tonight on WWE SmackDown in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, don’t expect the rivalry between “The Best in the World” and “The Prize Fighter” to continue long-term.
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com reports that, as of a few days ago, WWE’s plan was for Punk vs. Owens to be a “one-and-done” match rather than the beginning of a longer feud.
As we noted earlier today, Owens has emerged as the betting favorite heading into tonight’s title match, though that doesn’t necessarily mean oddsmakers expect him to leave Toronto with the championship. A disqualification or countout victory, for example, would give Owens the win without Punk dropping the title.
“Kevin Owens is apparently the betting favorite tonight — this doesn’t mean the title is changing,” Alvarez wrote. “It could be a DQ win or something. One way or another, whatever the finish ends up being, as of a few days ago the idea was that this match is a one-and-done.”
Owens returned to the ring at SummerSlam after spending approximately 15 months on the sidelines following neck surgery. He earned his shot at Punk by winning a number one contender’s match, setting up tonight’s championship bout in his home country of Canada at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
There was also some brief uncertainty surrounding two other matches advertised for tonight’s SmackDown. Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga vs. Damian Priest & R-Truth and Blake Monroe vs. Giulia were temporarily removed from WWE’s official preview earlier in the day.
Both matches have since been added back to the advertised lineup for tonight’s show.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com tonight at 8/7c for live WWE SmackDown Results coverage.
