Opie had a habit of bringing off-air drama to the air, particularly when he had a problem with what "management" (his bosses) told him what to do. If someone pissed you off, don't bottle it up and put on a fake smile, stir up radio drama on the airwaves and air everyone's dirty laundry. Don't start fake drama, but the second you see a spark start pouring gasoline on it and hope it blows up.
Opie in general would be as cunty as possible, becoming this on-air diva that knew he could talk all the shit he wanted, spill every secret, and there'd be no consequences. The show was too big to get cancelled because some program director at SXM got butthurt. Blue collar truck drivers loved to hear someone trash their boss.
So yeah, if I had to guess, it started in a genuinely angry place. But it channeled that Opie arrogance because (A) the ONA folks loved it (B) it stirred up drama (C) it pissed off the people who pissed him off and (D) emphasize his point that it's his show. Hitting all four of those points is exactly what the Opster did every time.