Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens will meet for a third time. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis granted Rhodes' request for a ladder match at the WWE Royal Rumble on Feb. 1. Owens is

The last WWE SmackDown of 2024 featured thrilling matches and high-stakes confrontations. Highlights included Chelsea Green's US title celebration, tag team action, and the announcement of a ladder match between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens at the 2025 Royal Rumble.

The final Smackdown of 2024 gave fans plenty to talk about heading into a big 2025, including Rhodes vs. Owens 2.

Also set for tonight, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis will address Kevin Owens’ assault on Cody Rhodes that took place after their match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes has yet to appear on WWE television since that attack. We’ll see if that changes tonight.

Check out the top takeaways of WWE SmackDown on Dec. 27, 2024, where Cody Rhodes convinced Nick Aldis to give Kevin Owens a rematch.

Cody Rhodes will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens again at the Royal Rumble. This time, the rivals will compete for the title in a Ladder Match. The match was made official on this week's episode of Smackdown.

The Undisputed WWE Championship will be defended at WWE Royal Rumble. At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Cody Rhodes beat Kevin Owens to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. After the match, Owens attacked Rhodes and walked away with the Winged Eagle Title that Rhodes wore to the ring.

Cody Rhodes has become the symbol of WWE for a couple of years, having shown his total dedication to this business since he decided to enter the ring against Seth Rollins despite a serious pectoral injury.