"WWE SmackDown" nearly saw the deranged Kevin Owens injure another top star with his banned package piledriver maneuver, but WWE Champion CodyRhodes was once again there to stop him ahead of their championship match at the RoyalRumble.
"SmackDown" opened with Kevin Owens trying to convince Rey Mysterio that if he wins the men's Royal Rumble match he should choose to face Owens for "his" title the stolen "winged eagle" championship. Mysterio said he agreed, but only agree if Owens becomes the real champion by defeating Rhodes. Owens flew into a rage at these words and they brawled in the ring, leading to a match later in the night.
Owens ultimately disappointed the hometown crowd by defeating Mysterio in SanDiego. Following the match, Owens initially showed respect toward the Hall of Famer before attacking him instead; he was positioning Mysterio for the package piledriver when a newly-cleared Rhodes put a stop to it. The two men brawled in and out of the ring and across the commentary area as security and WWE officials tried to break it up.
Owens hit Rhodes with the package piledriver, a move he had never before used in his WWE career, at "Saturday Night's MainEvent" in December. They will return to SNME on January 25, as General Manager Nick Aldis declared that both men would relinquish their titles ahead of their RoyalRumble ladder match, and that Shawn Michaels will moderate a contract signing between them next Saturday in San Antonio.
