Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens: Winner and Reaction from 2016 Royal Rumble

Dean Ambrose entered the Royal Rumble pay-per-view as Intercontinental champion, and he'll exit it with the title still in his possession after defeating Kevin Owens in a hard-hitting Last Man Standing match Sunday night.

WWE captured a picture of Ambrose hoisting his belt:

WrestlingNewsSource and Kevin Berge of Questionable Critics provided their takes on an outstanding match:

WWE's Lunatic Fringe first won the IC title from Owens at TLC, and the fierce rivals have been at odds ever since. For the past several weeks, Ambrose and KO have interrupted each other's matches, brawled around arenas and done everything possible to destroy one another.

That made it clear they needed some type of stipulation attached to their bout at the Royal Rumble in order to settle the score once and for all, and a Last Man Standing match made all the sense in the world, considering how relentless both Superstars are.

As WWE Hall of Fame announcer Howard Finkel pointed out, Ambrose has a never-say-die attitude, which made the Last Man Standing rule perfect for him:

Owens, on the other hand, is equally capable of dishing out and absorbing punishment. WWE's resident prizefighter is also that much better when something of significance is on the line, and that was the case Sunday in the form of the Intercontinental Championship.

While 2015 ended on a sour note for Owens as he dropped the belt to Ambrose, it was still a big year for him since he debuted on the main roster and won his first-ever match against John Cena.

Even so, the Canadian Superstar made it clear that he intended to make an even bigger impact in 2016, and that started with the Rumble:

"

2015 was incredible...I could do like everyone else and tweet that 2016 will be my year but I don't need to...everyone already knows that.

— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) January 1, 2016"

Although that may ultimately prove to be the case, the Royal Rumble wasn't his night, as he failed to regain the Intercontinental Championship in a violent and entertaining affair.

Another loss to Ambrose may signal the end of Owens' pursuit of the IC title, which is somewhat disappointing since many expected him to restore some of the prestige the championship has lost over the years.

At the same time, though, it frees Owens up for bigger and better things leading up to WrestleMania should the creative team choose to elevate him past the midcard level.

As for Ambrose, it is possible that keeping the title could prove to be a negative in terms of pigeonholing him, but it could just as easily provide a boost since he now has a ton of momentum on his side after defeating Owens at three consecutive pay-per-views.

Both Ambrose and Owens are elite talents deserving of being placed in top-level feuds come WrestleMania, and regardless of Sunday's result, WWE would be wise to make that happen since they put on a great performance at the Royal Rumble.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.