The smart money betting odds came in for Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view event shortly before the show went live on the WWE Network. Although almost all of the favorites won, there was one exception as AJ Styles was heavily favored to defeat Kevin Owens to retain the United States Championship. Styles was a -4950 favorite when the pay-per-view started while Owens was a +1650 underdog. As seen at the event, Owens ended up defeating Styles to win the U.S. Championship for the third time.
Apparently, oddsmakers were not wrong. Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Styles was scheduled to win the match when the show started. He added that the finish that took place was not the original finish, and it’s not known if it was changed during the match or right before.
Styles, who has been quiet on social media since the pay-per-view, stayed in the ring for a while after the match ended. Fans in attendance noted that the former WWE Champion was in the ring when the Jinder Mahal – Singh Brothers segment took place backstage and also knocked over a ring step.
