5 reasons why Kevin Owens defeated Dolph Ziggler in 16 seconds at Extreme Rules 2019

Sixteen seconds. That was literally all it took for Kevin Owens to hit a stunner on Dolph Ziggler and pick up the victory at WWE Extreme Rules 2019. It was a moment that nobody saw coming and it was a moment that was obviously well received.

Tonight was supposed to be a big litmus test for Kevin Owens as a babyface and it's safe to say that he passed with flying colours. Post-match, Kevin Owens did what he does best - talk.

He cut a worked-shoot kind of promo and this time around, he didn't have anyone to cut the mic from him. This is going to be the start of an extremely exciting run for Kevin Owens and that has only further been amped up by his epic sixteen-second victory.

Obviously, it's sent the wrestling world abuzz and fans are wondering why exactly Owens won in such a quick and decisive manner. Here are a few reasons why it happened.

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#5 To make PPV space for the two main matches

Kevin Owens is ready for a change

The most likely reason that WWE decided to make the match a mere 16-seconds was likely that they didn't want to touch the four-hour mark and having a full-fledged match would risk that.

There have been recent reports that WWE is planning to stop 4-hour shows for the "B-PPVs" so it does make sense. Moreover, this was obviously the best match to cut down and have a huge impact and it worked perfectly.

It's the same reason why Samoa Joe vs Rey Mysterio was all but one minute at WrestleMania 35.

Time was essential and they couldn't afford to have as many long matches. As a result, Samoa Joe had a very believable squash match against the lucha legend. This time just worked out better.

See WWE Extreme Rules Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Extreme Rules Results page

#4 A Jorge Masvidal-Ven Askren reference

A real-life squash

WWE loves pop-culture references and any reference that is basically trending. Obviously, the UFC 239 PPV saw a historic knockout, as Jorge Masvidal put away the previously undefeated Ben Askren in five seconds - hitting a running knee to the face before landing an extra shot on an already unconcious Askren.

Not only did that shoot Masvidal's stock up, but it got the sports world with all eyes on UFC. It's clear that WWE usually likes taking a page or two out of the UFC's book (and the UFC occasionally does the same from WWE).

Since WWE usually want in and to get people talking, this was likely done as their version of Masvidal-Askren. We do admit that if so, it was quite funnily done and more importantly - well done.

However, few things can cause the shock and impact that the Masvidal knockout did.

#3 To push Dolph Ziggler out of WWE programming

The end of another run?

Dolph Ziggler's WWE career has essentially whithered away - atleast from a creative standpoint. Given how much WWE would get behind him and then lose interest, we don't blame him for not being particularly motivated.

Moreover, Ziggler is establishing multiple different careers outside of wrestling right now and WWE is giving him the freedom to do so. Again, we don't blame him for having an exit strategy. With that said, he keeps re-signing and lately, he hasn't appeared much until the end of May.

This match may have been a way to push Dolph Ziggler out of WWE programming again. Now that he finished his feuds with Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens, there isn't too much left to do.

There was a rumoured Ziggler feud with Ali, but we don't really see that doing much for Ali in the long run.

#2 To legitimize Kevin Owens' face turn

Nobody expected the face turn to work this well

Fans always knew that Kevin Owens had potential as a babyface, but the fact of the matter is that he was such a well-established and well-tested and proven heel that it was hard to imagine him in any other role.

Even when WWE had him return as a face, they scrapped those plans rather quick. Owens was very open in an interview about the fact that he wanted to try a face turn and he got what he wanted, furthering the comparisons to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

WWE probably thought of multiple ways to help him capitalise on his newly found momentum and likely felt as though the best way to do so would be to give him a quick and effective win.

Given how the match went about and the promo that was cut afterwards, it's safe to say that Owens has only gained more momentum.

#1 Just to throw fans off with a swerve

Kevin Owens did what he needed to do.#ExtremeRules pic.twitter.com/ifWH7FyWNi

— Kenny (@sinzhq) July 15, 2019

Sometimes, WWE simply likes to surprise fans simply for the sake of surprising. While we do believe that predictability isn't good, it still can be effective when the story is told right. This is one front that WWE often fails at.

With that said, we will give them credit where its due. They managed to swerve fans in a big way by having Kevin Owens defeat Dolph Ziggler in a matter of seconds. The very fact that we're talking about it now means that it was proven effective and it was a positive swerve as well.

These are the kind of swerves that fans often crave but don't get as much as they would like. Either way, WWE chose the best match to throw fans off and while we were all expecting a decent match, we got a really quick one.