Kevin Owens put CM Punk through tables, chairs and a steel chain on Friday night’s SmackDown — and when Punk finally hit the Go To Sleep, Owens bounced off the ropes and knocked him out with a chain-wrapped fist to win the No Holds Barred main event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The November 6 episode was WWE’s final television stop before Crown Jewel, which takes place Saturday, November 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Because the blue brand needed to give its Superstars and production crew time to travel, the show was taped in advance on November 2, right after that night’s Raw at the same Brooklyn arena, and aired at its usual 8 p.m. ET slot on USA Network.
Neither Punk nor Owens is booked for Crown Jewel itself. It was argued before the show that the match was too big for a go-home SmackDown and better suited to Survivor Series.
How Owens finished it
The two brawled from the opening bell, and the hardware piled up fast. The play-by-play has Owens using a steel chair early, Punk driving the ring steps into him, a trash can and cannonball in the corner, and Owens hitting a fisherman’s buster off the apron through tables on the floor. Punk answered with an elbow drop through a table, then pulled a chain from under the ring and wrapped it around his knee for a GTS attempt.
Owens blocked it, hit a superkick and a Swanton Bomb, and survived a Punk GTS of his own — which sent him rebounding off the ropes straight into a chain-loaded punch. He fell on Punk for the three count. Afterward, Owens needed a pair of chairs to struggle to his feet before referee Dan Engler raised his hand.
Backstage before the match, Punk told Jackie Redmond he had no problem fighting no holds barred, but what bothered him was the title. PWTorch’s report quotes him saying he lost the championship to a mediocre mid-carder
thanks to Owens and should be preparing to face Roman Reigns instead.
Kevin Owens defeats CM Punk!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/4Z2AfMtxbM
The rivalry now stands at one win apiece — Punk retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Owens on the August 21 SmackDown in Toronto before Zayn took the belt — and a third meeting looks inevitable.
A go-home show full of Crown Jewel business
Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn opened with a promo about surviving his title defenses on Raw and SmackDown before facing Reigns at Crown Jewel. Jimmy Uso confronted him over Zayn striking Reigns during a 946 attack. As Zayn walked off, the 946 attacked Jimmy from the crowd, and Zayn left his former ally to take the beatdown.
Athlon’s spoilers report reads the segment as WarGames build toward Survivor Series on November 28 at Daikin Park in Houston.
Damian Priest brutalized Nathan Frazer, with the referee stopping the match after a Razor’s Edge on the announce table; Axiom’s payback attempt ended with Priest throwing him into the ring post. Charlotte Flair returned to attack Jade Cargill during the women’s tag title match, leaving both sides at a standstill.
