If there’s one thing that Kevin Owens loves about being in the WWE, it’s… John Cena? Yes, while KO’s character may deride Cena and just about anyone else he gets in the ring with, the real man (real name Kevin Steen) is nothing but appreciative for his time in the ring with Cena at the start of his career on the main roster of the WWE last year, nearly to the point of reverence.
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“My goal when I signed with WWE was, at some point, I have to be in the ring with John Cena,” Owens told ComicBook.com at a recent event promoting WWE 2K17. His desire wasn’t purely selfish – it wasn’t just about taking on the face that runs the place.
“Not only for myself; at that point I felt like the top spot, the highest thing you can do is get in the ring with John Cena, but also because my son was a huge John Cena fan for years. He used to ask me, ‘are you ever gonna wrestle John Cena?’ because he was too young to understand. So I’d always answer him, ‘maybe one day!’
“It happened way quicker than I thought it would – that’s definitely not a complaint – I felt I was ready from the start, and thankfully I proved that I was. It’s something that I look back on very fondly, and I honestly can’t wait to be in the ring with him again. I’m sure it’s far from over, and we’ll find each other in the ring again, and we’ll make more special moments for sure.”
Sadly, the two were drafted to different brands in the recent brand split – Owens to Raw where he continues to at least somewhat feud with his old pal Sami Zayn, and Cena to SmackDown in a feud with AJ Styles, so he may have to wait awhile. One thing Kevin Owens learned from Cena was how to ride the wave of the crowd, especially when they were divisive and both cheering and jeering him, something that Owens loves when he’s in the ring.
“I am who I am, I’m just me,” he said with a shrug. “People either like it or hate me, but I really am a big fan of the divisiveness, I’m a big fan of just the wall of cheers and wall of boos hitting each other and making a crazy scene.
“Honestly, I think that’s why John Cena’s been on top for so long: he gets both. I’ve been in the ring when John Cena’s music hits, and the entire arena either boos or cheers, and it’s a crazy sound. That’s what I’m looking for!”
The performer, who has been wrestling competitively in the indie circuit and now the WWE for twelve years (with an extra four years of early development), has seen incredible success in his short time with WWE so far. After coming up from the developmental arm of WWE, NXT, after less than a year and a lengthy NXT Championship title reign, Owens captured the Interncontinental title on the main roster in his first year. Tonight, he fights for the vacated Universal title; vacated by fellow indie and NXT darling Finn Balor, who had a devastating shoulder injury the same night he gained the title. Balor, Owens, and two of their fellow NXT stars Sami Zayn and Neville came up through the indie ranks together, something Owens is proud of and thankful for.
“It’s validating in the sense that, I first signed with NXT, and that first week WWE.com came to do an article on me, Neville, Finn [Balor], Hideo, and Sami [Zayn],” he said. “They called us the NXT Five, and at that point we all knew that we were all as good as anybody that was on Raw or SmackDown at the time, and we all just needed the chance to showcase that. We have all been able to do that – Hideo unfortunately got injured and it took him awhile to come back; now he just came back, and honestly, I would be shocked if he doesn’t join us up here eventually. But to find ourselves all, not only on Raw and SmackDown, but all doing well, it’s not a surprise to any of us, but it’s very validating at the same time.”
Tonight on Raw, Owens has the chance to launch right back into the conversation of the WWE’s mega-elite, as he competes with Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Big Cass for the still fresh Universal Title, and many fans out in the WWE Universe think it’s his time to get that big push. No matter what, they know they’ll get a crazy, impactful performance out of Kevin Owens, and if he gets his way, only half the crowd will be cheering for him during the bout.
