Stipulations for Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble
Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens have had memorable clashes in the past, and it may well seem that the WWE Superstars are on a collision course yet again at this year’s Royal Rumble.
The first episode of SmackDown for 2023 definitely gave the WWE Universe a treat with the presence of The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns alongside his Bloodline fam. As expected, the reigning champ addressed his recent loss and lashed out at Sami Zayn before he was interrupted by Kevin Owens.
Owens wasted no time in challenging the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. However, it’s still uncertain if Reigns has already agreed to it despite giving a positive response to KO’s proposition.
Despite the title match being up in the air, the fight between the WWE Superstars at Royal Rumble is pretty much locked in. Additionally, it’s likely that there is going to be a stipulation to this impending clash, and here are some of the plausible ones.
#3. An 'I Quit' match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble
During Roman Reigns' and Kevin Owens’ promo on SmackDown, there was an instance in which the two might have hinted at an 'I Quit' match for their Royal Rumble clash. This was when The Prizefighter challenged The Tribal Chief for the WWE Universal Championship.
The champ simply wants Owens off his back and desires that KO leave "forever." The Prizefighter obliged, but not to the forever part.
In this vein, a stipulation may be introduced in which the loser either has to leave the brand, the company, or even just leave the winner alone. The downside to this is that Owens is challenging a fellow WWE Superstar who happens to be the current holder of both of the promotion’s most coveted titles. To that end, Kevin Owens’ fate may well seem to be decided on this one.
But who knows? WWE’s Creative might come up with some sort of a loophole to add some twist to such a stipulation.
#2. A No Disqualification/No Holds Barred match is also a good stipulation
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Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens could also go for this stipulation in their Royal Rumble match.
It sure is disappointing for most fans to know that a match got stopped due to one of the competitors getting disqualified after performing an illegal move. Outside interference is also one of the reasons why a match would result in DQ.
If anything goes for both WWE superstars, they can opt for this type of match. From the dirtiest trick they can think of to whatever they can pull out from under the ring, it will all be legal. Of course, getting help from their friends or partners – in this case, Roman Reigns’ Bloodline fam – will be legal.
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One might think that Kevin Owens will be at a disadvantage since he does not belong to any wrestling faction. Fans might recall, though, that he made alliances with fellow WWE superstars like John Cena and teams like The Brawling Brutes and The Street Profits while fighting Reigns and The Bloodline.
If both of them agree to such a stipulation, it is plausible that any of the superstars that Owens helped fight Reigns’ stable might join the fray to return the favor.
#1. Settling things inside a steel cage
If Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns prefer a good old-fashioned singles match minus the outside interference at Royal Rumble, a steel cage stipulation would be a suitable match for them.
The WWE Universe is well acquainted with The Bloodline’s penchant for assisting their members whenever one of them is in trouble during a match. Reigns himself has benefitted from it numerous times, even in the most important bouts where everything was on the line.
The two WWE Superstars have already clashed back in 2017 at Royal Rumble. Owens was defending his WWE Universal Championship at the time against Reigns in a No Disqualification match.
There’s a catch to it, though. Then-United States Champion Chris Jericho had to be suspended above the ring in a shark cage to keep him from interfering during the match. For the uninitiated, Jericho was the one who saved the day for Owens whenever The Prizefighter was in peril of losing his title.
Just as when everyone thought that Roman Reigns was on his way to capturing the Universal Championship, Braun Strowman did Jericho’s work and Owens retained the title.
Now that the tables have turned, this is a stipulation that The Prizefighter should be considering if their Royal Rumble match pushes through.