When Roman Reigns' Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles was announced as the second bout at the 2024 Royal Rumble, one spot before Logan Paul wrestled Kevin Owens for SmackDown's secondary title, the United States Championship, it turned heads around the WWE Universe.
Sure, pretty much no one thought Reigns was going to lose his title, as even in a Fatal Fourway, his record-chasing streak felt like a borderline lock to remain intact, but placing his match second, before a “lesser” title no less, left fans with more questions than answers, even after he made a cameo appearance at the end of the Men's Royal Rumble match when Cody Rhodes screamed “I want you!” after securing the victory.
Discussing his appearance at the Royal Rumble and his unusual spot on the card on his ImPaulsive podcast, Paul reveals his very interesting interaction with Paul Heyman between their matches, with the ECW legend using his clout to push the “Maverick” in his match against KO.
“Kevin Owens is better than I thought. He's good. I made fun of him. Frequently. Called him all sorts of things. Called him the Humpty Dumpty of WWE. Called him a 40-year-old school boy who dressed like a teenager. I underestimated him, and I'm in a little bit of pain. I'm in a little bit of pain. I did retain my title, against all odds, for the first time in WWE. One title defense at a time. Who knows, at this rate, I could be the next Roman Reigns. I'm in pain. I bled,” Logan Paul told ImPaulsive fans via Fightful.
“The position of the match was difficult. We were after the women's Royal Rumble and the fatal four-way with Roman Reigns where he also retained his championship. Paul Heyman, after the match, comes out and everyone is chest out, they knew they just blew the f**king roof off with Roman. Paul Heyman goes, ‘Come here, son.' Motions me over. ‘What's up Paul?' He goes, ‘You want some motivation?' ‘Absolutely.' He goes, ‘Follow that motherf**ker.' He goes, ‘You can do it.' Kevin, he's ruthless, I'll be honest with you. He has fingerprints on my chest. My shoulder. I'll be honest, I underestimated him. I was playing chess, and he was playing checkers.”
Man, you've got to give it to Heyman, he's one heck of a showman, even when he's not actually being filmed. Though Paul's match against KO wasn't universally lauded, as the hokey DQ finish left a bad taste in more than a few fans' mouthes, the actual wrestling displayed in the match was aces, which is all the more impressive, considering Owens worked it with a broken foot. If Heyman helped to take things up even a notch, then he really is a “Wise Man” indeed.
Kevin Owens wants revenge on Logan Paul.
After taking a loss to Logan Paul due to his attempted usage of the “Maverick's” own brass knuckles, a DQ finish that led to the “Prize Fighter” beating the bricks off of his foe after the final bell rang, Kevin Owens sat down for an interview with his best friend Cathy Kelley and let it be known that he isn't letting this loss go without a proper rematch.
“I hope Logan Paul knows I'm coming for a rematch. There's no way things can end this way. First of all. He brought in the brass knuckles. Is it knuckles or knucks? In French, that's called poing américain, which literally translate means American fist, which is appropriate because he's the United States Champion, doesn't do anything the book. Brings in American fists [to] try to retain the United States Title,” Kevin Owens said via WrestleZone.
“Here's the thing. I'm a Canadian. It's probably why I got caught using the American fist. You see where I'm going? But it doesn't matter. Next time I get Logan Paul in the ring, that title's on the line, I'm winning that championship. I should be champion. At least I put him through a table. You know what that's called? A moral victory.”
On paper, if anyone deserves a rematch for the United States Championship, it's Owens, as he had Paul beat before the referee saw his knucks and opted to call off the match instead of simply confiscating the illegal object like others might have if it was in the hands of, say, Roman Reigns. While WWE doesn't have an official rematch clause, especially for challengers as opposed to losing champions, KO is the sort of performer who will likely figure out a way to get what he wants… or turn heel and force WWE's hand one way or another.
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