Title changes don’t happen at WWE live events very often, but AJ Styles won the United States title with a win over Kevin Owens at Madison Square Garden.
Live events in WWE are generally pretty boring when it comes to title matches, with most ending in disqualification if there is a heel champion or a pin for the face champion. In this case, however, AJ Styles proved that anything can happen in a WWE ring, especially on a big stage like Madison Square Garden.
In a live event Friday night, Styles faced off with United States champion Kevin Owens at the big WWE MSG show. The match came after Styles became the number one contender to the title after the Independence Day battle royal on SmackDown on Tuesday night.
To the shock of pretty much everyone in attendance, Styles hit his Phenomenal Forearm and pinned Owens in the middle of the ring to win the United States title for the first time in his WWE career.
The win left fans in shock, as they witnessed the first title change at a WWE live event since Samoa Joe took the NXT title from Finn Balor in Lowell, Mass. last year.
Next: 30 pro wrestling must-follows on Twitter
It’s incredibly likely that Owens could win the title back in a live event in the next few days before SmackDown on Tuesday night, as the company has done before when they’ve had wrestlers win at a live event to shock people, only to lose it back the next night. However, we could have a new champion to confuse people with as they turn the channel to the USA Network next week.
For now, we can enjoy The Phenomenal One’s reign, however short-lived it may be, and just enjoy the shock value that comes with such a big win in a random event.