Kevin Owens attacked Nick Aldis and Cody Rhodes on this week’s SmackDown, which prompted an angry response from WWE. KO was confirmed to face The American Nightmare in a Ladder match at the upcoming Royal Rumble 2025.

Owens and Cody’s feud escalated after the former brutalized the latter after their match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. If this wasn’t enough, Kevin Owens even stole Cody Rhodes’ Winged Eagle version of the Universal Championship. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis even gave Owens an ultimatum to show up on this week’s show and return the title or else face the consequences of his choices.

KO obliged and had a face-off with Cody in the closing segment of SmackDown, where a Ladder match between them for Royal Rumble 2025 was confirmed. However, he then pulled off another cheap tactic as he pushed Aldis into Cody and then proceeded to unleash another beatdown on the Undisputed WWE Champion.

WWE shared the clip of Owens’ actions from the Friday Night Show and termed him a “menace.” Alongside that, they also shared an unflattering caption.

“At this point, we should’ve expected nothing less from Kevin Owens SMH 🤦#SmackDown,” read WWE’s caption.

Could Kevin Owens dethrone Cody Rhodes at WWE Royal Rumble 2025?

It’s safe to say KO is doing some of his best heel work in years as an anti-establishment figure who has wreaked havoc on SmackDown. This has even led to chatter about WWE potentially rewarding him for his phenomenal work by having him dethrone Cody Rhodes as the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Regardless of who’s chosen to go over at Royal Rumble 2025, fans can expect nothing less than an edge-of-the-seat ladder match between KO and Cody.

Moreover, plenty of outside shenanigans can also come into play due to the stipulation. One name many would surely keep an eye out for is Randy Orton as he was taken out by Kevin Owens a few weeks ago on SmackDown. The Viper returning to help Cody Rhodes retain his title could generate a thunderous pop.