The aftermath of Kevin Owens' match against Cody Rhodes at the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble left him wounded. He showed up on the latest episode of Monday Night RAW on Netflix with brutal battle scars.

During the February 3, 2025, episode of WWE RAW on Netflix, Owens attacked his best friend Sami Zayn. This came after a match where Zayn lost to CM Punk to qualify for the Men's Elimination Chamber match.

Owens was sporting a nasty black eye as a result of the match. He was also wearing a “Sami Zayn Forever” shirt from his feud with Johnny Knoxville. He proceeded to hit a package piledriver on Zayn, which left him lifeless on the mat.

Why Owens attacked Zayn remains unclear. Zayn came to the ring during the Royal Rumble to support Owens. He also sat with him while Rhodes celebrated his title retention.

However, Owens could be upset that Zayn did not help him during the match. His attack could spark a WrestleMania feud between them. They previously faced at WrestleMania 36 in a “No Disqualification” match, which Owens won. Either way, it was a brutal attack.

Owens' scars come from his recent ladder match against Rhodes. It was a violent affair, as both men were thrown onto ladders throughout the match. It culminated with Owens being Alabama Slammed through a ladder off the announcer's table. Rhodes stood tall at the end of the night.

Kevin Owens' feud with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens during their match at the Royal Rumble on February 1, 2025.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images.

For the last few months, Owens had been feuding with Undisputed WWE Champion Rhodes. Since Rhodes returned to WWE and began pursuing the Undisputed WWE Championship from then-champion Roman Reigns, Owens helped him even the odds against the Bloodline.

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Once Rhodes won the title, he wanted to reward Owens for his help, offering him a championship match at Bash in Berlin. Rhodes won, but it was partly due to Owens not going after his injured leg. He had an easy victory if he decided to attack Rhodes' leg but decided against it.

As a result, Owens slowly began a heel turn. His breaking point came at Bad Blood in October 2024 after Rhodes teamed with Reigns in a tag team match. This was the first time Owens had turned heel in over two years.

They once again faced at Saturday Night's Main Event in December. Owens lost, but he walked out with the special Winged Eagle championship belt that was given to Rhodes for the show.

Their rubber match occurred at the Royal Rumble on February 1, 2025. Once again, Owens failed to capture the gold, and he seemingly has chosen Zayn as his next target.

They go way back — Owens and Zayn entered the wrestling business together. They had storied rivalries in NXT before moving to the main roster. Even on the main roster, the two have feuded. Their most notable feud led into WrestleMania 36.

However, they would reunite in 2023 to take down Jey and Jimmy Uso (the Usos) to win the Undisputed Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 39.

They held the championship for 154 days before losing them to Judgment Day's Damian Priest and Finn Bálor in a “Pittsburgh Steel City Street Fight” at Payback.