Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens came face-to-face for the first time this week after Saturday Night’s Main Event. Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell discussed how the segment played out on TV.

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis gave Owens an ultimatum that he had to relinquish the Winged Eagle WWE Championship by the end of the night. During the show’s final segment, KO was in the ring with Cody Rhodes and Aldis when The American Nightmare challenged him. Aldis finally gave in and announced that the two would face each other at the Royal Rumble.

On the latest episode of Smack Talk, Mantell revealed he wasn’t a fan of the angle. He felt it dragged on unnecessarily and WWE was forcing the storyline to drag on for a few more weeks. The wrestling veteran was unimpressed with the showdown, claiming he wasn’t excited at the prospect of Cody and KO squaring off again.

“I hated the last part with Kevin Owens and Cody. Just hated that. It looked like they were stretching it, wanted it to go another week or two. I don’t know. I wasn’t excited about it, let me say that.” [From 10:50 onwards]

Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes will now face off in a huge ladder match at the Royal Rumble with the fate of the Undisputed WWE Championship hanging in the balance.