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Kevin Owens' Package Piledriver Returned at Saturday Night's Main Event
Kevin Owens' attack on Cody Rhodes after SNME sent shockwaves through the locker room.
Moments after the last Saturday Night's Main Event went off the air, Kevin Owens took full advantage of a celebrating Cody Rhodes and hit him with a move that's never been performed in WWE: the package piledriver.
The package piledriver is a vicious controversial move — here's everything fans need to know about the jaw-dropping maneuver, including an update on the condition of the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes.
But first, let's take a look at what WWE cameras captured after Saturday Night's Main Event concluded on December 14:
Ouch. Cody bounced off the mat and didn't move at all during the aftermath — we don't blame any fan inside the arena for picking their jaw up off the floor after that.
What is the package piledriver?
Most WWE fans are familiar with the traditional piledriver, a move famously used by CM Punk in an unforgettable match against John Cena in 2013 on Monday Night Raw. The once-common move consists of dropping your opponent directly on their head.
The Undertaker also utilized a version of a piledriver — aptly called the Tombstone piledriver — throughout his legendary Hall of Fame career. The Undertaker's version was slightly different, of course, but insanely effective, as the big man used the Tombstone en route to countless championships.
However, the WWE Universe has never seen a move as genuinely wild as Kevin Owens' package piledriver.
We can't help but replay the move over and over. Kevin Owens has used the package piledriver before — extensively, actually. Long before he made his WWE debut, the package piledriver was part of his arsenal — it was because of dangerous moves like this that made him such a fearsome adversary on the independent scene.
Why is the package piledriver so powerful?
Even to the naked eye, it's clear how Owens' piledriver is so hard hitting — curling your opponent into a ball and trapping their arms makes them about as defenseless and helpless as they can get, and then dropping them is a surefire way to end their fight.
On paper, it's a move meant to inflict serious pain — but in practice, it's even more dangerous than that simply because no wrestler has ever encountered that move in a WWE ring before!
Never-before-seen moves don't come around too often in WWE, and quite frankly, Cody Rhodes — and the rest of the locker room — has no defense against it. Some of the most breathtaking sequences in WWE history have involved two competitors being a few steps ahead of the other while seamlessly reversing signature moves, but the package piledriver has no counter, yet.
After all, how could a WWE Superstar counter a move that they've never been on the receiving end of before? While many have surely heard about Owens' use of the package piledriver in his pre-WWE days, there was no reason to believe he would ever use it — especially ten years into his WWE career.
Did Cody Rhodes get hurt after Saturday Night's Main Event?
On December 15, just one day after Saturday Night's Main Event, WWE gave fans a much-needed update on the Undisputed WWE Champion's condition:
Earlier today it was confirmed that Cody Rhodes suffered cervical swelling and was kept overnight at a local hospital for observation. While X-Rays were negative for a fracture, Rhodes has been officially diagnosed with axial compression of the cervical spine, as well as a cervical strain with spasm.
So the good news is that although Cody's neck isn't broken, the bad news is that terms like "axial compression" and "cervical swelling" don't add up to a promising prognosis moving forward for the American Nightmare.
Cody Rhodes has battled back from a major injury before, but then again, he's never been on the receiving end of such a punishing move!
What does this mean for Kevin Owens going forward?
Many fans believe Kevin Owens took things way too far — but unfortunately, we're somewhat inclined to believe someone like KO thinks he didn't take things far enough. That spells trouble for everyone else in the locker room.
Even Triple H got physically involved in the aftermath of Owens' heinous attack, meaning that there are probably ramifications coming from WWE's Head of Creative in the upcoming days and weeks!
So, as 2025 draws to a close, WWE fans found themselves in a new era in the blink of an eye: we're officially in the KO Era now, where the package piledriver is the judge, jury, and executioner until somebody can get Owens under control.
