Top 10 Brutal Fights In Yellowstone
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Brutal Fights on Yellowstone. For this list, we’ll be looking at the rough-and-tumble times our favorite cowboys…and cowgirls…got a little bit rowdy and ended up a-lot-of-bit bloody. We’re sticking to bare-bones knuckles and fists, so there won’t be any shootouts on this list. And put up ‘yer dukes, ‘cuz you’re about to get smacked in the face with some spoilers. Think you can fight like a cowboy? Which showdown is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!
#10: Kayce Dethrones Rip
“New Beginnings” He’s just so darn sweet that we easily forget how Kayce can be a bad boy. The Duttons’ prized son has always been reluctant of leadership, but John’s recent medical emergency forces both men to consider who will take charge after he’s gone. Thus, a public brawl between Kayce and head hand Rip Wheeler ensues. Jackets are shed, punches are thrown, and there’s some bloodstained skull-grasping that’s reminiscent of “GOT’s” “The Mountain and the Viper”. In the end, Rips falls to the ground, and Kayce declares victoriously, “if you wanna fight, you come fight me.” It’s a big moment for Kayce and a huge sacrifice for Rip, as the latter likely lost purposefully at the behest of John Dutton. But that’s how much Rip loves the ranch.
#9: Beth & the Broken Bottle
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“Tall Drink of Water” A woman scorned hath no fury like Beth Dutton. She and Rip went through a long and complex journey to end up together, and you can bet there ain’t nothing gonna come between ‘em. When a brunette bombshell sets her sights on Rip, she foolishly ignores the man’s warning about his lurking wife. Her overconfident stride towards Beth is met swiftly with a broken beer bottle to the face. The whole bar erupts into chaos, but somehow Beth’s tunnel vision only magnifies her intense hair yanking, knee kicks…and then some. After police intervention, she still can’t resist getting in one final punch. Even Beth-haters joyfully took to Twitter with the realization that when stuff goes down, she’s a good rotten egg to have around.
#8: Rip’s Rescue
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“Resurrection Day” You could say this was the episode where “Yellowstone” got real. Tensions between John Dutton and the fearsome Beck Brothers shifts gears to overdrive when the villains deploy armed assailants to Beth’s office. Despite apparent hopelessness, she’s able to send a desperate text message to Rip. A flying desk through a shattered window is Rip’s way of letting the assassins know he means business. Though the battle is brief, it feels like violent relief after seeing Beth come so close to a bleak and cruel end. It’s also exciting to see the burly cowboy be a hero. He even shows his sensitive side as he tenderly comforts his lover. Mess with the bull’s wife, and you’ll get more than the horns.
#7: Emily vs. Mia
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“New Beginnings” Ranch hand Jimmy Hurdstram’s redemption arc not only made fans love him, but a few pretty cowgirls too. His stint in the rodeo paired him with Mia, a feisty barrel racer who was heartbroken when Jimmy was later sent to Texas. Jimmy returned with his arms and an engagement ring around vet tech Emily, who he’d fallen for while away. Mia needs only to hear the word “fiancée” to instantly explode with rage. Her reactionary assault gets curbed by Emily’s impressive left hook. Wild pummeling ensues, and pulling the two apart is no easy task for the men watching. “Stand by your man” takes on a whole new meaning when you’re a rancher, that’s for sure.
#6: The Barbed Wire Brawl
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“New Beginnings” Rip is clearly a dangerous man, but this never seemed to frighten newcomer Walker. The ex-con always appeared too casual about the Yellowstone’s rules, and when he refused to obey critical commands from Rip, the bunkhouse leader lost his temper. Rip teaches Walker a lesson with a pair of pliers and a loosely flying strand of barbed wire. Walker answers the bloody gash with fists and a switchblade, while Rip fearlessly utters death threats that feel like more than words. Only Lloyd’s pistol and promise of “life in a wheelchair” stop the confrontation. It’s the last straw for Walker, who dangerously announces that he’s “done with this place,” regardless of what that means. Maybe taking razor-sharp fencing to the face makes death seem less intimidating.
#5: Beth & Summer’s Standoff
“Watch ‘Em Ride Away” Beth fights for her man, but even harder for her family. From the moment John began his informal affair with enemy activist Summer Higgins, his daughter viewed the outsider as a threat. Season 5 sees Summer living under house arrest at the Dutton ranch, and Beth won’t quietly abide the intrusion. The two take the obligatory “walk outside” to exchange punches, insults, and chokeholds. Fed up, Rip intervenes and orders them both to stand tall and alternate turns taking blows. Deconstructing combat tactics this way allows for each woman to experience the unedited power of the other. It becomes a somewhat primal means for the rivals to understand each other, and they return to dinner with a refreshed relationship and some toothless smiles.
#4: The Bunkhouse Bar Fight
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“A Thundering” After boredom leads to an ill-advised game of “cowboy poker,” the bunkhouse ranchers retire to a neighborhood saloon, per Rip’s irritated instruction. A stranger’s unwanted advances towards one of the female ranch hands leads to an unnecessarily outlandish drunken tussle. They probably should have known better than to mess with the Yellowstone boys. Rip and his men return with an unruly bull, which they casually allow into the drinking establishment. The locals get to experience their own game of “cowboy poker” as the rampaging animal ransacks the place. It’s unwritten law that nonmembers never touch Yellowstone workers, and these poor folks learned that the hard way.
#3: Why Rip Was Branded
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“The Dream Is Not Me” John Dutton’s stylized “Y” represents ownership over more than just cattle. When that mark is branded on a man, he commits his life to the service and secrets of the Yellowstone. Perhaps no man takes this more seriously than Rip, and a season 5 flashback showed us why. A young Rip’s jealousy over another cowman’s advances towards Beth leads to this altercation. When the stakes are raised with a pocket knife, Rip unleashes his wrath with a stone. The aftermath here is the most brutal part, as Rip’s victim struggles to speak in such a way that we can almost feel the internal bleeding ourselves. When John quietly disposes of this eventual casualty, he requires that Rip “take the brand,” swearing a blood oath to the ranch.
#2: Lloyd’s Beating
“I Want to Be Him” “Yellowstone”’s version of “Old Man Wisdom” comes in the form of Lloyd, one of the most seasoned ranch employees and bearers of its brand. But, his escalating conflict with new worker Walker leads to unsuitable scraps that step on Rip’s leadership toes. Rip directs both men to wrestle it out for all to see and, at John Dutton’s directive, he makes an example of the winner. This is especially painful watch, considering Lloyd’s previously unwavering loyalty. We get that Rip is making a point, but is it really necessary to stomp on the man’s hand? No matter how tough Lloyd might be, he’s still Rip’s elder and parental figure. No amount of rewatches are likely to make this scene any easier.
#1: The Ranchers vs. The Bikers
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“Going Back to Cali” “This is America. We don’t share land here.” John Dutton’s thematic words should have been spoken to the unwise biker gang who decided to take up temporary camp on Yellowstone soil. After refusing to move, Rip mows down their motorcycles and the two groups of ‘tough guy’ archetypes go to war. The unwavering ranchers come out on top, with partial thanks to Rip’s tire iron skills. When the bikers maliciously return, John Dutton joins his men to reinforce their unwelcoming message. They force the gang to dig and stare into their own graves, assuring the defeated that those tombs would be waiting…should they ever return. If you’re going to screw with the Yellowstone ranch…maybe just don’t.
