Over the past several months, Kevin Owens has been putting up top-notch heel efforts to put himself back into the level that once made him the second-ever Universal Champion in the WWE. He’s gone back-and-forth in winning the title but came up short on numerous occasions. The good thing is that his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
Kevin Owens was defeated by Cody Rhodes in their intense ladder match for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2025 but he’s receiving praise for his efforts, after all. According to the reports of PWInsider, the former challenger for the title received significant praise backstage, not just for the bumps that he took inside the squared circle, but also for his contributions in setting up the match which also earned cheers from the fans and critics.
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The match-ending at Royal Rumble saw Kevin Owens getting put through a ladder at ringside with an Alabama Slam from the Undisputed WWE Champion in an insane bump. Besides, he was busted open, badly during that stage with officials trying to help him, raising concerns over his health. However, no negative update is there regarding him picking up an injury.
When the bygone match was praised, Cody and others involved in the match made sure that Kevin Owens got the due credit, emphasizing that he deserved the recognition for his role in putting it together. Despite being a former Universal Champion, The Prizefighter has never been able to capture the WWE Championship since 2017 which also makes him the holder of a bad record, as such.
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Kevin Owens holds unfortunate records after Royal Rumble 2025
After his loss to Cody Rhodes at Royal Rumble 2025 in a Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Kevin Owens has now joined an unfortunate club where he is one of only three wrestlers in history to challenge for the WWE Championship at least 10 times without ever winning it. The other two names on this list are Don Muraco and Dolph Ziggler.
Previously, WWEStats revealed that Kevin Owens has tied for the record for the most championship matches at the Royal Rumble premium live event. He competed in the seventh title match at the PLE, something only a few WWE superstars have done. Roman Reigns, Triple H, and The Miz also have seven matches at The Rumble by their names while Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles have six such matches.