Cody Rhodes successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens in a brutal Ladder Match at the WWE Royal Rumble Premium Live Event on Saturday night. The highly anticipated showdown took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, with Rhodes emerging victorious.

The match’s climax saw Owens delivering a low blow, only for Rhodes to retaliate with a devastating Alabama Slam from the announce table through a ladder. With Owens incapacitated, Rhodes scaled the ladder and retrieved his championship titles to secure the win.

This battle added another chapter to the longstanding rivalry between the two competitors. Their feud reignited at December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Rhodes also secured a victory. Prior to that, the champion successfully defended his title against Owens at Bash in Berlin.

Following this latest defeat, WWE Stats pointed out that Owens has now become part of an exclusive group of superstars who have challenged for the WWE Championship more than ten times without securing a victory. He joins the ranks of Don Muraco and Dolph Ziggler in this statistic.

Following his match at #RoyalRumble, @FightOwensFight has joined the dubious club of Superstars who have challenged for the #WWETitle 10+ times without ever winning the @WWE's flagship championship.

— Wrestling Stats & Info (@WWEStats) February 2, 2025

Some card-carrying members include Dolph Ziggler and Don Muraco

— Wrestling Stats & Info (@WWEStats) February 2, 2025