"I didn't like it" - Veteran reveals what WWE could have really done with Kevin Owens' SmackDown angle (Exclusive)

The final SmackDown episode of 2024 had some impactful moments, including the confirmation of Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes' match at Royal Rumble. WWE booked an extensive segment to achieve this goal, but Dutch Mantell wasn't a big fan of how it all unfolded on TV.

Unlike most weeks, SmackDown concluded with an in-ring segment instead of a match, and it all began with Nick Aldis coming out along with Kevin Owens. The General Manager ordered Owens to hand over the iconic Winged Eagle Championship, which The Prizefighter unsurprisingly refused.

Owens cut a promo detailing his frustrations about losing to Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night's Main Event. While Dutch Mantell generally enjoyed watching KO speak, he wasn't particularly entertained by the SmackDown star's latest effort, as he revealed below on the latest episode of Sportskeeda's Smack Talk:

"Well, I didn't even like Kevin Owens' in-ring interview; usually, I like it, but I didn't like it tonight." [From 49:09 to 49:21]

The booking of the segment didn't excite Dutch Mantell, as he felt WWE could have gone down a different creative route.

The former manager explained that instead of shooting down Aldis' demand to give up the Winged Eagle belt, Owens should have initially teased giving into the GM's desires.

Owens should have pulled the belt back at the very last second before revealing what he wanted: a rematch against Cody Rhodes without a referee's interference.

"What I would have done, I would have had Owens say, yeah, you may be right, I hate to do this, but you made it almost impossible for me to continue here. He goes to hand him the belt, and just when Aldis reaches out to it, he pulls it back. Wait a minute? Under one condition, blah blah blah! Then they start arguing back and forth." [From 49:46 to 50:15]

Dutch Mantell on what he liked from Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens' show-closing SmackDown segment

Cody Rhodes, as expected, appeared to respond to Kevin Owens and he first asked Nick Aldis to exit the ring, which the General Manager didn't end up doing.

Rhodes also had some words for his on-screen rival, noting that he was no longer friends with Owens and wished to face him in a Ladder match. While Aldis confirmed the bout for Royal Rumble, Kevin Owens resorted to heelish tactics as he first attempted to shake Cody's hands before attacking the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Owens also shoved Aldis, which was the only moment Dutch Mantell found acceptable in the entire segment. Dutch also believed it was odd that Rhodes wasn't in a neck brace, selling the effects of KO's piledriver:

"Then comes Cody. I thought Cody's neck was almost broken, but he didn't have a brace or anything, right? So he just walked up there and got in the ring, and they have their words back and forth. I did like the part where he pushed Cody and the GM, to knock them down and beat down Owens a little bit. That was the best part of it." [From 50:16 onwards]

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens will have their rematch at Royal Rumble on February 1, 2025, but only one WWE star will walk out with potentially both the world title belts currently appearing on TV.

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Please credit Smack Talk and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.