5 WWE Superstars who defended Championships in Handicap matches

#3 AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (WWE Championship match)

Mere days before Survivor Series 2017, AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to win the WWE title on an episode of SmackDown. This was the first time in 14 years that the WWE Championship had changed hands on SmackDown. The Phenomenal One took on Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series in a Champion vs. Champion match, eventually losing the bout. Styles went on to engage in a feud with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. He lost two consecutive matches to the dastardly duo, due to interference. This led to a Handicap match at WWE Royal Rumble 2018, with the WWE title on the line.

At the PPV, Zayn and Owens dominated Styles throughout the match, though the WWE Champion had a strong showing on various occasions. In the end, Styles managed to score a pin on Zayn to retain his WWE title, despite the odds being heavily stacked against him. He would go on to successfully defend the belt over the next few months, including a win over Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Kaushik Das