WWE

Predicting the Next Three United States Champions

AJ Styles just defeated Kevin Owens to become a two-time WWE United States Champion. With Styles looking to begin an open challenge, he will have many fresh challengers. One of these challengers will eventually dethrone Styles. Someone will dethrone the one who dethroned Styles. So on and so forth.

Who will be the next person to hold United States gold? Who will become a champion soon? Only time will tell, but here are some bold predictions. Who will become a United States champion before 2017 ends?

3. Kevin Owens

Styles is supposed to defend his championship next week on Smackdown. Given WWE’s recent fascination with nonsensical booking decisions, expect Owens to regain the title and become a four-time US Champion.

The match, if it’s anything like their last few matches, will be a mostly okay match. It will be good for a TV match. Eventually, though, some weird booking decision will work in Kevin Owens’ favor. Maybe the referee won’t see a weapon shot, or won’t see a rope break. Maybe Kevin Owens will pick up the whole announce table and hit AJ with it and the referee won’t know if he should disqualify Owens. At the end of a hard-fought match, though, Owens will walk away with the gold.

The next week, he’ll cut a promo saying he’s hosting an open challenge. Styles will answer, and Owens will deny him. Either Daniel Bryan or Shane McMahon will book  the match for the following week, because ratings or something. Whatever. Styles will get his rematch.

What will happen after Styles gets his rematch? It’s easy.

2. AJ Styles

At the rematch, AJ Styles will channel the strength of his home state of Georgia. With the weight of 10 million people squarely on his shoulders, Styles will vanquish that dastardly Canadian Kevin Owens and become a three-time United States champion. Ideally, the match would be a no holds barred street fight. The Atlanta Falcons will all be at ringside (despite the show being held in Providence, Rhode Island), and they’ll all attack Kevin Owens. Then the Montreal Canadiens will show up and attack the Falcons. Styles will then perform a Styles Clash to Kevin Owens off the top rope, outside the ring, and onto both teams, who are conveniently brawling near the turnbuckle. Amidst all the strewn bodies at ringside, Styles will roll Owens’ lifeless body into the ring and get the three-count.

Next week, AJ will announce that he’s holding an Open Challenge. John Cena will answer, because reasons. Kevin Owens will also appear, along with Jinder Mahal. They’ll have a tag team match, and Owens will face Styles at Summerslam for the United States Championship.

What happens at Summerslam? I think you know.

1. Kevin Owens

At Summerslam, Kevin Owens will defeat AJ Styles in a 60-minute 6-pack Iron Man Elimination match that will also feature Sami Zayn, Tye Dillinger, Aiden English, and Mike Kannelis. Owens will eliminate Styles by fighting with the weight of 35 million people on his shoulders. Styles will be fighting with the weight of 323 million people on his shoulders, but since his burden is heavier, Owens capitalizes on that and wins.

Owens will once again proclaim that he will be hosting an open challenge. Styles will demand a match, but Owens will deny him, saying he’s fought him too many times. Styles moves to the back of the line, and Kevin Owens faces new challengers.

Kevin Owens will then hold on to the United States Championship for the rest of his career. He’ll retire 10 years later, still the United States champion. At his last ever match, it will be for the championship. The match will end in a DQ, and Owens gets to retire with the title, forever the New Face of America.

Updated WWE Network Subscriber Count Revealed

WWE revealed in their second-quarter earnings report that the WWE Network averaged 1.63 million paid subscribers over the second quarter of 2017. This number is up 8% from last year. 1.158 million were from the United States while 410,000 were international.

The earnings report revealed that there was also a 6% increase in revenue generated by the WWE Network and pay-per-view buys, which totals to $54.9 million. WWE Network subscription revenue increased 7% to $49.1 million from $45.9 million in the prior year quarter based on an 8% year-over-year increase in average paid subscribers to over 1.63 million.

WWE expects the average number of paid subscribers to drop to 1.54 million in the 3rd quarter.

Backstage News on the Awkward Finish to AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens at WWE Battleground

As previously noted, WWE changed the plans for the outcome of AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens at the Battleground event. Styles was originally planned to retain the title prior to the show, however they made a last minute change to the match and Owens ended up capturing the title.

Dave Meltzer provided an update on the awkward finish to the match and confirmed that the change was actually made late into the match right before the referee bumped. The people that needed to know the finish were told that AJ Styles was winning and there was some commotion backstage when the finish went down.

Who’s Idea Was For AJ Styles to Win the US Title at Madison Square Garden?

While appearing on Edge & Christian’s podcast, AJ Styles revealed that it was actually Vince McMahon’s idea for Kevin Owens to drop the United States Championship title to him at the Madison Square Garden event a few weeks back.

“To me, it’s smart. It’s something that hasn’t been done in a long time and to do it at Madison Square Garden and everybody with WWE knows that’s a big deal. I think it was awesome. I think it was very clever and I loved it.”

Styles recalled, “there was a pop, ‘he won! Yes!’ but, ‘well, who’s going to walk out there?’ and then, there was another pop because nobody walked out there. It was really cool, but it was smart to not do that every year, but every couple of years to do something like that. I think it just came down to doing something different and it was Vince’s call and no one else’s. And yeah, it was great.”

Styles went on to explain how he wouldn’t be surprised to see the WWE Championship change hands at a SmackDown Live live event.

“You never know. And who knows? When the guys wrestling, whoever it may be wrestling Jinder Mahal, they may switch it. If you’ve got John Cena working Jinder Mahal on the main event or whatever, it could possibly happen. That’s a good idea. That’s a business move to some extent.”

Anthem Sports Refusing to Negotiate with The Hardy Boyz

It doesn’t look like you will see the “BROKEN” gimmick being used by Matt and Jeff Hardy on WWE programming anytime soon, as Anthem no longer wants to negotiate with The Hardy Boyz anymore.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Anthem’s Ed Nordholm touched based on the on-going issues between Anthem Sports and the rights to the “BROKEN” gimmick. When asked if The Hardy Boyz initial investment of $3000 into the gimmick would change the dynamic of the ownership, Nordholm explained why he doesn’t think it does.

“No. The company spent millions of dollars producing television last year, including all of the shows that incorporate the various aspects of the “Broken Brilliance.” I don’t know whether Jeff and Matt had some out-of-pocket expenses that they might have had on the volcano and the like, but that would not change, in any way, shape, or form, what their contracts say about who owns the IP. If they had some out-of-pocket expenses, they certainly never brought them to my attention. To suggest that they somehow funded the show is absurd.”

When asked about the possibly selling the intellectual property, Nordholm revealed that the door has been shut on The Hardy Boyz and they never plan on negotiating with them again.

“I’ve stopped thinking about this. We have a show to put on, and a company and a brand. We’ve got things on our plate that are more important than sorting out the “Broken Brilliance.” I made a genuine effort to resolve something to benefit the Hardys as a goodwill gesture to Matt. It didn’t reach a conclusion and we’re moving on. We’re not going back to it, I’m not interested in opening a new dialogue, I’m not interested in opening another conversation about it. We made our best effort, it didn’t happen, and I’m not going to negotiate all over again.”