Good morning, and this is the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the founded and unfounded rumors abound the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed over the evening.
If you're wondering about why a certain Battleground match went the way it did, here's an answer:
- AJ Styles was apparently supposed to retain the United States Championship yesterday at Battleground. The finish was reportedly supposed to see Owens's pinfall reversed because Styles's shoulder was up, allowing AJ to win in some way. According to Rovert on Twitter, the referee counted the pinfall because AJ raised his shoulder up too late, perhaps because the referee was out of position for him to see. There were also no good camera angles that would show AJ undoubtedly getting his shoulder up, leaving WWE no way to justify restarting the match. The evidence further supporting this as an unplanned result is said to be the betting odds favoring Styles, a lack of replays after the match, no Fallout video on YouTube, and Owens being in an unusual mood discussing the win at Talking Smack. (Source: Rovert, Fightful)
We say: That does make sense, considering the rumored plan for SummerSlam was to have John Cena challenge AJ Styles for the title. However, this might be one of those situations that end up being beneficial for SmackDown if they just play the aftermath right, as they could have a bigger matchup than they originally intended.
- Former champions Davey Richards and Matt Morgan have left GFW. Richards announced that he was leaving to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, while Morgan has mentioned that he requested his release because he could not bear to take time off his day job. GFW originally promised him that tapings would be on weekends, but he mentions that they had to go to weekday tapings and eventually travel. (Source: Wrestling Inc)
We say: Despite these departures, though, it seems GFW isn't really wanting for stars. (But it does have to manage guys like Alberto El Patron.)
Let us know what you think of today's news in the comments!
Photo from WWE
