Styles overcomes Owens, Zayn to retain WWE title at Royal Rumble

Sunday night didn't end up marking the crowning of the first-ever co-WWE Champions in history.

Despite having the numbers advantage in their handicap match, longtime friends Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fell short in their bid to capture gold at the Royal Rumble event at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, losing to A.J. Styles.

The devious duo opened the bout playing mind games with The Phenomenal One, circling the ring and making frequent tags to throw the champion for a loop.

Styles eventually stood in their way to prevent yet another tag, but Owens cleverly maneuvered his way around it.

An ankle injury that Owens aggravated last Tuesday on "SmackDown Live" hindered his movement during the latter stages, with Zayn fighting on their behalf for a good chunk of the contest.

Styles springboarded off the top rope to drill Zayn in the face with his signature Phenomenal Forearm, but Owens came in at the last possible second to break up the pinfall.

The finish came when Styles tossed Zayn to the outside, with Owens grabbing Styles to attempt a Pop-up Powerbomb. While in midair, Styles reversed the move and rolled up Owens for the win.

Afterward, Zayn and Owens were seen in the backstage area venting at "SmackDown Live" commissioner Shane McMahon. They believed they had been screwed over by the officiating since Owens wasn't the legal man at the time of the decision.

McMahon, who's feuded with the two for the past several months, was having no part of it.

This marked the first handicap match for the WWE Championship since 2007 when Randy Orton and Umaga challenged Triple H.