We’re four-and-a-half seasons into the blockbuster small screen run of “Yellowstone.” With 47-episodes of Western-tinged action already in the bank, it’s become clear that the only thing Taylor Sheridan loves more than backstabbing plot twists, over-bearing needle drops, and longing shots of the Montana wilderness is pitting his characters against each other in a down and dirty fist fight. And at this point in the “Yellowstone” narrative, pretty much every central player has gone toe-to-toe with one character or another.
Of all the bare-knuckle throw-downs fans have been subjected to, few were quite as brutal as the two sparring sessions involving Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) and Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). The first of those encounters was relatively brief even in its brutality. The second, however, was a full-on bruiser that not only found the duo beating each other to bloody pulps, but doing so in full view of the bunkhouse crew, and even John Dutton himself.
Kayce ultimately came out on top, but that’s only because Rip threw the fight. And there’s basically an army of “Yellowstone” fans on Reddit who just aren’t buying that particular outcome in light of Kayce’s clandestine military background. Redditor u/GoodShark is one of them, taking to the platform to claim, “This fight always bothered me. Because with Kacey’s military training … he should have wiped the floor with Rip.” One mystery Redditor even went so far as to claim, “That scene nearly made me quit watching the show.”
Yellowstone fans are pretty sure Kayce should’ve put the hurt on Rip
To their point, even the staunchest Rip Wheeler defenders can admit Kayce Dutton’s training as a Navy Seal should’ve uniquely qualified him to bring the burly ranch hand to his knees. Given how often Kayce’s death-dealing skills are referenced on “Yellowstone,” that he didn’t leave Rip a broken, bloody mess is actually a little suspect. But as several Redditors point out, Rip’s physical advantage over the much smaller Kayce may have leveled the playing field.
Even still, as u/jacomanche notes, we don’t see much in the way of close-quarter combat skills from Kayce during the fight, with the user posting, “Not saying Rip should get his ass kicked straight … but I want to see Kayce using his hand-to-hand combat skill to overcome Rip’s physical strength.” As it is, u/sweetpeapickle was one of several to point out one particular angle, writing, “Being Navy Seal does not mean you’re perfect. And not being Navy Seal does not mean Rip doesn’t know how to fight either.”
If there’s one thing Rip has proven on the show, it’s that he can take a punch as well as he throws them. Likewise, he tends to punch both harder and far more often than arguably any other character in the “Yellowstone” landscape. In the eyes of u/mrsedgarallenpoe that’s likely enough to sway any fight, with the Redditor quipping, “All the training in the world doesn’t help if a right hook like a freight train makes it to your chin.” And it’s safe to say the freight train was clearly running full steam ahead when Rip faced off against Kayce.
