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WWE News: Kevin Owens Talks About Who Was Responsible For NXT’s Success

By Shawn Lealos
Published on: 15:57 PST, Aug 13, 2016

When people watch Kevin Owens on television, it would seem that he thinks very highly of himself and considers himself the biggest star in professional wrestling. However, when taken out of the ring, Owens is normally very intuitive and has a great grasp of the industry. A perfect example came when Kevin did a recent ESPN interview and was asked about a number of wrestlers in the WWE today.

One of those stars was Finn Balor, a first-round draft pick by WWE Monday Night Raw. Not only is Balor a new Raw superstar, but Balor showed up on his first New Era episode of WWE Monday Night Raw and won a four-way match and then pinned Roman Reigns to earn a spot in one of the main events at SummerSlam and a match against Seth Rollins for the new WWE Universal Championship.

Not only is Finn Balor wrestling for the number one title on WWE Monday Night Raw, but Finn has held his own in promos against Seth Rollins. Balor also appears to be readying the Demon to make its first appearance in the WWE. It seems that Finn Balor was ready for the WWE and some wondered why it took him so long to get to the main roster. Kevin Owens knows exactly why Finn took so long to get to the main brand.

“Hideo [Itami] got hurt and I got called to the main roster. Neville got called up as well and he was a big part of NXT, and Sami Zayn got hurt. That could’ve taken the wind out of NXT’s sails a little, because at that point we were the focal point. Then within a month four of us were gone and Finn was the only one still there. Without Finn, I don’t know if NXT would’ve reached the level it has today.”

According to Kevin Owens, everyone was working really hard to make NXT work, from Triple H to Dusty Rhodes to the wrestlers themselves. NXT was on the rise, but Owens said that it was Finn Balor that carried it to the next level, and without him it might not have happened. Kevin said that Finn Balor was who NXT hitched the wagon to, and Owens feels that it will be the same in WWE Monday Night Raw for Finn Balor.

“He’s gonna be in the main event of SummerSlam. That’s pretty incredible. So it makes sense they kept him as long as they could — who wouldn’t want to have Finn Balor on their roster for as long as possible?”

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There are also a few wrestlers remaining in NXT that Kevin Owens doesn’t really understand why they are still there. That includes Bayley, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura. Fox Sports reported that Bayley is frustrated that she is still in NXT because she said she has done everything she can there and feels that she is ready to enter the main roster. Kevin Owens feels they are ready, but said that it isn’t that bad to be in NXT.

“Obviously everybody aspires to be on Raw or SmackDown. That’s why they sign with WWE, because they want to be able to perform on that stage, and at WrestleMania and SummerSlam. But I was in NXT for six months and it was some of the best times I’ve had in my career. I think Finn would say the same.”

Finn Balor takes on Seth Rollins at SummerSlam for the new WWE Universal Championship, while Kevin Owens teams up with Chris Jericho to battle Enzo and Big Cass. Meanwhile, NXT will bring their brand to SummerSlam weekend as well when Samoa Joe battle Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bayley battles Asuka.

[Image via WWE]

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