Kevin Owens will face WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes in a ladder match at the WWE Royal Rumble. The rivalry between Owens and Rhodes reached its peak a few weeks ago during WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Ahead of the show, Triple H, the Chief Content Officer, presented Rhodes with the iconic Winged Eagle WWE Championship, telling him that it’s for “one night only.” Rhodes wore the championship belt during Saturday Night’s Main Event. He successfully defended his title against Owens during the match. However, Owens, enraged by his loss, attacked Rhodes with a brutal piledriver. Officials rushed to prevent further harm, but he left with the Winged Eagle WWE Championship.
Since injuring Rhodes, Owens has carried the Winged Eagle Championship and declared himself as champion. On the latest SmackDown, General Manager Nick Aldis gave Owens an ultimatum — return the stolen title by the end of the show or face severe consequences.
Kevin Owens then addressed Aldis’ threat from his car. He ignored the SmackDown general manager’s demands, stating he only wanted to meet Aldis on his terms alone in the ring. Later, the duo met in the ring, but Rhodes interrupted. He challenged Owens to a ladder match for both the WWE Championship and Winged Eagle titles.
Following this, Aldis officially booked the match for the WWE Royal Rumble on February 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Afterward, Owens attacked Rhodes again, targeting his injured neck. Owens has since made a bold proclamation after his attack on Rhodes on WWE SmackDown.
Kevin Owens declares himself the rightful WWE Champion
WWE Superstar Kevin Owens recently posted a picture on X (formerly Twitter) holding the Winged Eagle title and declaring himself as the “true” and “rightful” WWE Champion by using the same hashtags.
Now, as Owens gets ready for his Royal Rumble match against Cody Rhodes next month, it will remains to be seen if he can defeat Rhodes and capture both titles. Moreover, there is also the possibility that Rhodes may successfully defend his title once again. Only time will reveal what will happen next to the duo.
