Kevin Owens’ Heel Turn: Why WWE Kept It Off-Camera

No One Saw It Unless They Follow Online

Kevin Owens’ recent heel turn against Cody Rhodes didn’t happen in front of a live audience, and according to Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer, that was a smart move by WWE. Following Bad Blood, Owens attacked Rhodes outside of the arena, a moment Meltzer praised for avoiding potential issues with crowd reactions.

It’s not clear why he thinks so, but Meltzer explained that if Owens had confronted Rhodes in the ring, the live audience might have cheered for KO. The assumption here must be that fans don’t like Cody associating with Reigns, thus beating down the babyface champion would have been appreciated. This response could have undermined the storyline’s intent and that’s not what WWE wanted. By staging the assault backstage, WWE maintained the clear heel-versus-babyface dynamic.

Originally, it was believed that WWE wanted the clips of Owens attacking Rhodes to go viral, but Meltzer believes this was done so WWE could continue to control the narrative of the Rhodes-Owens rivalry. Meltzer noted that this approach keeps Rhodes’ popularity intact and prevents confusion among the audience.

Is Styles Really Injured Or Not?

AJ Styles suffered an apparent injury during his match against Carmelo Hayes on last Friday’s SmackDown, forcing the bout to end early. WWE announcers claimed that Styles landed awkwardly on his left leg after a moonsault attempt, and the referee stopped the match when Styles couldn’t continue. WWE’s Jackie Redmond reported that Styles has a “mid-foot ligament sprain” and is set to undergo an MRI to assess the severity. Some aren’t sure if this is a storyline or not.

There are conflicting reports regarding the injury’s legitimacy. While Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp suggested the injury was part of the storyline, Dave Meltzer later reported that the injury is legitimate. Clearly, WWE has done a good job of making sure no one really knows, especially if this is an angle.

If Styles is truly hurt, it’s unclear how long he might be sidelined. A potential Lisfranc injury would generally require caution, though it’s not typically a long-term issue. For now, fans are left waiting for an official update on his status and whether this incident will impact his involvement in upcoming storylines.

WWE Botched Finish Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley

Plan For Raquel Rodriguez Confirmed

Rhea Ripley’s match against Liv Morgan at Bad Blood ended in controversy, with Ripley technically winning by disqualification. However, the victory left her without the Women’s World Championship. The disqualification came after a returning Raquel Rodriguez attacked Ripley, seemingly to assist Morgan.

According to reports, the match was supposed to end differently. Fightful Select revealed that the planned finish was for Morgan to pin Ripley, but the referee, seeing Rodriguez’s interference, called for the disqualification instead. Typically, WWE referees try to avoid witnessing interference to maintain the planned match outcome, but in this case, it was too blatant to ignore. It seems strange that this would be the creative, especially considering Ripley told the official during the match to give her some time to take care of Dom outside the ring, to which the official agreed. It’s hard to imagine the ref was supposed to look the other way in that instance.

PW Insider reports that Raquel Rodriguez is set to align herself with The Judgment Day and will be a full-time member moving forward. Her return has been in the works since July, and the segment was intended to build her new role in WWE’s programming.

The unexpected finish might have altered plans for the feud, but it shouldn’t have considering the ending shouldn’t change Raquel being in the group or not.