After a few chaotic weeks at SmackDown between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, it all came down to a Last Man Standing Match at the Royal Rumble for the Universal Championship. Adam Pearce managed to put Owens in this spot after some contract antics, and now it was time for Owens to do his part and put Reigns on the floor. Owens came out first, and then Roman Reigns hit the entrance ramp with Paul Heyman at his side, although none Jey Usage interesting enough.
Owens attacked Reigns well, but Reigns punched Superman and knocked out Owens soon after. Owens got up and avoided a Reigns spear with a big kick and then hit Reigns with a pop-up powerbomb, but Reigns managed to get up when he counted to 4.
Reigns then picked up Owens, but Owens got up and threw Reigns at the ring post. Reigns came around and threw Owens with his shoulder against the steel steps. Reigns followed with a spear that sent him crashing to the ground.
Reigns waited for Owens to get up and then went up the steel steps, throwing them at Owens. He picked them up again and hit Owens in the face, knocking him to the floor. Reigns then hit him again with the steps, sending Owens down again. Owens stood up and kicked Reigns in the face, knocking him over and snatching the steps from his hands.
Owens hit Reigns with the face on the stairs three times and then threw him against the LED screens several times. Reigns stood up and Owens hit him first on more LED screens and then kicked him in the face. Owens then took the steel steps and launched them at Reigns, sending him over the equipment table.
Owens then went up and grabbed a chair, but Reigns hit him in the eye. Reigns hit Owens with a chair in the ribs, but Owens responded. They would exchange attacks until Owens hit Reins in the face with a huge kick, and then grabbed a chair and hit Reigns in the knees and legs, followed by a blow to Reigns’ back. Reigns returned the favor with several attacks that left Owns injured, and then Reigns tried to push Owens over the edge, but Owens stunned him and sent him reeling towards the edge. Reigns hit Owens with a Superman punch and threw Owens on the tables, breaking them in half.
Still, Owens got up in time. Owens was in pain and went backstage for some unknown reason. He kept walking until he found the training ring backstage. Suddenly, Reigns appeared in a golf cart, colliding with Owens, and the collision resulted in a broken windshield.
Owens fell, but got up at the 9 count, and Reigns then lunged at him with punches. Owens got up again when he counted to 8 and, before Reigns could attack him again, Owens punched him and a pop-up power threw him on the table. Owens then went up and splashed Reigns, breaking the table in the process. Reigns barely recovered at the 9 count, and his legs were spaghetti at this point.
Owens sent Reigns down again and then grabbed a ladder. Owens hit Reigns in the face with the ladder, leaving him on a table. Owens then got on a forklift and lifted a pallet. He then raised the palette and climbed on top of it, jumping and hitting Reigns on a senton and breaking the table below. The referee started the count, and Owens got up, and Reigns got up at the 9 count, but quickly returned to normal.
Owens continued to drag Reigns into the concession area, and Reigns was bleeding in places. Owens dragged Reigns into the ring area once more, and the referee started the count again. Reigns would beat him, but then he would turn the tables and play Owens on the LED screen. He was almost eliminated, but he rolled off the stage and ended up standing, hitting the count at 9.
Roman then pulled on some handcuffs and tried to arrest Owens, but Owens stopped and hit Reigns on a lamp post. Owens then handcuffed Reigns to the lightweight structure. He was about to be eliminated, but Reigns threw the referee over the post and knocked him out before he could count him.
He then hit Owens with a low blow, sending him to the ground, and then Heyman came out to take the cuffs off, but a new referee appeared and started the count. After a while (a long time when the referee really stopped counting because it was taking too long), Heyman was able to take Reigns out, and as soon as he did he immediately applied a guillotine to Owens, who looked passed out.
The referee started the count and that was all she wrote to Owens.
Here is the full Royal Rumble card:
WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens (Last Man Standing)
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler
Real male rumble: Daniel Bryan, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis, The Miz, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Jeff Hardy, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E, John Morrison, Sheamus, Mustafa Ali, Edge , TBA
Women’s Royal Rumble: Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Beliar, Bayley, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Tamina, TBA
What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments and how you can always talk about everything about WWE with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!