WWE Universal Title Match Changed At Royal Rumble 2017

For weeks, fans have known that Kevin Owens would be defending his WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. On Monday's Raw, though, a new dimension was added to the contest, as it was announced that the bout would be held under no disqualification rules.

Monday's Raw saw Roman Reigns invoke his rematch clause against Chris Jericho, challenging Y2J for the United States Championship that he lost two weeks ago. Reigns looked to have the bout and the title won when he nailed Jericho with the Superman Punch, but Owens then ran in the ring and attacked his foe for the DQ. After the match, Owens and Jericho tried to lock Reigns in a shark cage, but Reigns outfoxed them, putting the Universal Champion in the cage and Spearing the United States Champion.

This isn't the first time Reigns has been vexed by disqualifications. At Roadblock: End of the Line, Reigns nailed Owens with a Spear to seemingly make good on his first title shot at "The Prizefighter," but Jericho ran in and attacked Owens, giving his best friend the DQ victory. After that, it was announced that Jericho would be suspended above the ring in a shark cage for the Royal Rumble rematch. Jericho or no, though, the bout at the Royal Rumble will end by pinfall or submission.

The Royal Rumble airs live on the WWE Network this Sunday at 7:00 PM ET.