United States Championship
Baron Corbin served as guest referee, thanks to Kevin Owens getting to pick who would officiate the match. Baron tried to screw Styles out of the title multiple times, being promised to get a match with Owens if he did. The match was great, back and forth like you have seen over the past few months. Baron tried to fast count after Kevin Owens rolled him up. Shane McMahon came out and got involved, yelling at Corbin saying he is doing a terrible job. Baron gets angry and throws his shirt at Shane. Kevin is distracted, which allows Styles to hit a kick and a Phenomenal Forearm for the win. Kevin Owens gets no more chances with AJ Styles and his United States Championship, which opens the door for Owens vs. Shane.
Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon could be the feud that puts Smackdown Live over the top heading into the fall of 2017. We get more depth, more development and more episodes that fans NEED to tune into. Any McMahon working a program with anyone is meaningful and sometimes more meaningful than championships. Knowing how good Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon are working a mic and a live crowd, this has all the makings to be an excellent story to be told.
As for AJ Styles, Bobby Roode would be the best choice right now. I would not be surprised if Corbin gets involved first, but Bobby needs to be booked better than Nakamura was in the first two months of his showing. Roode is much different than Nakamura, relying on his speaking and verbiage to get over when he does not fight. It will be very interesting to see where they go, but I am certainly excited for so many positive pieces coming out of Smackdown Live.
@JoshIsenberg4 on Twitter. WWE Smackdown Live Rating:
