Some clarity has been added to the conversation regarding a reported a dispute between the participants of last night’s WWE Raw main event, which featured Judgment Day beating the trio of Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
Sean Ross Sapp reported the following on Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News).
‘Sources close to the situation say there was a talk that was more of a difference of opinion than an argument. We’re told Kevin Owens actually left almost immediately following the match, as he had prior obligations. Rollins got cracked pretty hard during the match, but haven’t heard anything else out of the ordinary aside from frustration over how the match went.’
Mike Johnson of PW Insider reported on the alleged argument Tuesday morning and clarified that nothing got physical between anyone. He also noted why the debate began and that it was “borne out of the frustration over how the match went.”
- Advertisement -
‘We are told the brunt of the issue was how the match went as there were apparently some spots that didn’t go as initially planned and were ‘clunky’ with two sources placing the blame on the fact that aspects of the match were changed ‘at the last literal second’ and one source placing the blame on one talent who they didn’t want to name to ‘not make the Internet go insane.’
A WWE source later contacted Johnson, who followed up later in the day on the matter. The source notably characterized the matter as a “difference of opinion.”
Per Johnson:
‘The same source stated that almost to the second ring entrances were happening, there was a re-working of plans and when things didn’t go smoothly in the ring, it exacerbated the issues. They felt that the changes may have led to the domino effect of things not being “as smooth as it would have been otherwise” inside the ring.’
Of note, the main event was largely well-received by critics.
- Advertisement -
Chris Mueller of Bleacher Report gave it a B, saying in part: “Five of these guys are experienced workers and one is on his way to becoming one, so nobody was surprised when they put on a good performance to close out the show.”
Alfred Konuwa of Forbes also gave the main event a B but noted how “Balor and Rollins had a few issues during their exchanges as the match briefly slowed to a crawl.”
Brent Brookhouse of CBS Sports added another B to the equation.
- Advertisement -
Ultimately, the reported backstage argument may be much ado about nothing. Despite any behind-the-scenes issues, critics still enjoyed the match, and any consternation in the back didn’t end with things getting physical.
