Many fans remember multiple instances in Yellowstone where Cole Hauser's Rip Wheeler and Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton didn't exactly get along. More specifically, the pair even fought, but the reason for their feud was unclear.
A lot of the show's characters have never seen eye-to-eye, and it seems as though nearly every one of Yellowstone's main characters has even been in a fight with one of the others.
As of Season 5, Part 2, Kayce and Rip obviously respect each other quite a bit and are on good terms. However, that has not been the case throughout other seasons of the modern Western series.
Why Did Rip and Kayce Get Into Fights in Yellowstone?
Rip Wheeler and Kayce Dutton's original scuffle occurred in Season 1, Episode 6 (which can be watched on Peacock, as Yellowstone isn't on Paramount+ due to legal reasons), the first time they shared the screen in Yellowstone.
Kayce rode off into the woods on his horse, and, after the horse ran off due to being spooked by a bear, Rip shot his gun to scare the bear off.
Rip then rode up to Kayce and made a snarky comment to him, saying, "You could get in trouble in a church. You stood your ground, though, for once."
Kayce then replied, "I ain't used to seeing you off my dad's leash."
This resulted in the two getting into a bit of a fistfight (which Rip won), and, while it would be their first, it wouldn't be their last.
In Season 2, Episode 2, the two got into a much worse fight where they beat each other to a bloody pulp. This fight occurred in front of all of the cowboys and even John Dutton himself.
The first fight and initial tension between Rip and Kayce weren't fully explained, but it likely stemmed from the decisions each made in the presence of the other.
For instance, Rip probably held a bit of a grudge against Kayce for wanting to walk away from the ranch and join the military. In Rip's mind, loyalty has always been more important than anything else.
Rip has literally given his entire life to the ranch and to John, and seeing Kayce so easily get up and leave probably made Rip lose a lot of respect for Kayce.
It is also worth mentioning that Rip had to work extremely hard for everything he earned at the ranch and still didn't get nearly as much recognition as he deserved.
Kayce, on the other hand, was born into wealth, power, and as much of the ranch as he wanted, which also likely didn't sit right with Rip when it seemed as though Kayce wasn't grateful for any of it.
From Kayce's point of view, he probably doesn't like that Rip blindly follows John's orders no matter the circumstance. It is not explicitly stated how it happened, but Kayce was branded before he left for the military.
Seeing as how Rip often did John's dirty work, he was probably the one who branded Kayce. Kayce would have obviously resisted, so another fight may have happened there.
If Rip hadn't branded him, then it would have likely been John himself, but Rip still would have almost definitely been there and may have even held Kayce down.
It is also worth noting that Kayce may hold a bit of resentment for Rip due to Lee's murder. Lee was alone when he was shot in Season 1, Episode 1 by Monica's brother. Kayce may have thought that Rip should have either been with Lee to protect him or that Rip should have even been the one there instead of Lee.
So, since it had been such a long time since they had seen each other in Season 1, they naturally picked up where they left off and had to prove themselves to one another.
In Season 2, however, their fight stemmed from something else entirely. Kayce had been back at the ranch fully for a little while, but obviously not nearly as long as Rip had been.
However, John decided to give Kayce the foreman's cabin, which meant Kayce would stay somewhere by himself and lead all of the cowboys.
While that definitely hurt Rip on its own, what made it worse was that Rip previously had the foreman's cabin and led the cowboys, so, in a way, he was demoted.
Rip obviously felt as though he was a better and more deserving leader so that made tensions rise between him and Kayce.
During that fight, after they had beaten each other senselessly, Rip made the ultimate sacrifice, though. Knowing John wanted Kayce to lead the cowboys, Rip threw the fight and let Kayce win, which ultimately caused Rip to move back into the bunkhouse with everyone else and take on a lesser role at the ranch.
However, after that, Rip saw Kayce grow into a strong leader who really cared about the ranch and everyone there, leading to Rip gaining a lot of respect for Kayce.
That respect was reciprocated by Kayce, who saw just how much Rip cared about the ranch and John.
So, after that point, the two worked closely together and have seen eye-to-eye ever since.
How Will Rip and Kayce Work Together in Season 5, Part 2?
Since their big fight in Yellowstone Season 2, Rip and Kayce have worked well with one another and all signs point to them continuing to have a good relationship throughout the rest of Season 5.
Now that John is dead (many are wondering how involved Jamie was with John's death), Rip, Kayce, and Beth will all have to help each other if they want to take down Jamie and Market Equities while also finding out the truth about John's death.
In the season's final episodes, Rip and Kayce will likely share the screen a few times and may even be featured in a big showdown that occurs at the end.
Beth will likely be the one to take care of Jamie due to how much Beth hates Jamie, but if Kayce needs some muscle when he goes after the company that carried out the hit on John, one would assume he would take Rip along with him.
After all, there would be no one better than Rip to seek justice for John, the man who treated Rip as though he was his own son.
Yellowstone is streaming on Peacock, and new episodes air every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.
