Seth Rollins beat Kevin Owens to retain his title. (Source: WWE)
Kevin Owens hasn’t had the greatest of summers in the WWE. And on WWE Raw, he put an end to that run. Not by winning but calling it quits. The former Universal Champion had promised to leave Toronto with a title but when he got done in the ring, it wasn’t his arm that was raised by the referee but that of Intercontinental champion Seth Rollins. With the match not going his way, a frustrated Owens quit on the spot.
The only reason the match was sanctioned was because Seth Rollins had reinstituted his Intercontinental Title ‘Open Challenge’ policy when it became clear that former champion Dolph Ziggler was occupied. This brought out Owens who was looking for redemption. Owens gave a great fight brutalizing The Architect’s arm and forcing him to fly on a clipped wing. When a submission move and surprise Stunner failed to get the job done, KO got desperate with a last-ditch moonsault. Rollins dodged, hit the Stomp, and picked up the win.
Rather than accept the defeat as a moral victory — with Rollins’ nodding in respect after the match and the “Kevin Owens” chant from the audience — Owens went for a knee-jerk reaction of the highest order: having waited in the ring for the duration of the commercial break, KO grabbed hold of a microphone and declared, “I quit.”
Earlier in the show, Braun Strowman declared he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank prize of a WWE title match inside a steel cage at the Hell in a Cell. Reigns, not so surprisingly, accepted the mouth watering challenge.
WWE Raw Results
Acting General Manager Baron Corbin def. Finn Bálor
Sasha Banks def. Dana Brooke
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins def. Kevin Owens; Owens quit in frustration
The Revival def. Raw Tag Team Champions The B-Team
Trish Stratus confronted Elias
Natalya def. Alicia Fox
Bobby Lashley def. The Ascension (1-on-2 Handicap Match)
Dean Ambrose def. Jinder Mahal
Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman def. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre via Disqualification