Every Roman Reigns WWE Universal Title Defence Ranked In Order Of Greatness
19. Vs Kevin Owens (WWE SmackDown, 25th December 2020)
A (taped) Christmas Day cage match was supposedly the answer to Kevin Owens' problems after Jey Uso's interference had been so integral to Reigns' title retention the prior Sunday at Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
It instead created a fresh and remarkably dramatic new problem for the Challenger.
Taking John Cena's "Never Give Up" ethos to an almost insane degree, Owens simply didn't know when to say when, and his survival instincts saw him almost escape the cage and finally see through his mission to end Roman's tyranny before it had really even begun. Neither Reigns nor the equally resilient Jey Uso were willing to keep the fight fair.
Uso arrived on the scene just as 'KO' prepared to exit, and a later skirmish resulted in the 'Right Hand Man' cuffing Kevin to the steel cage. Despite only being inches from escaping anyway, Owens was trapped and Reigns smugly stepped over his opponent to claim victory. It wasn't over, and the cruelty of the win inspired their most exciting battle.