Kevin Owens Credits His 15 Years Of Experience For Helping Him Remain Calm When Working With The Boss On TV
Kevin Owens defeated Shane McMahon at Hell in a Cell this past Sunday, and may have, in the process, brought the explosive rivalry between the two to its violent conclusion. Prior to that brutal cage encounter, though, Owens found himself face-to-face on an episode of Smackdown Live with the WWE CEO himself, Vince McMahon. One would assume standing in the ring with the owner of WWE would be nerve-wracking experience. After all, it’s not every day an employee is booked to beat up his or her boss. Owens, however, was able to draw back on his many years of experience in the industry and remain calm during the entire segment, as he stated when speaking on the CBS, In This Corner podcast.
“I was not nervous,” Owens stated. “I generally don’t get nervous anymore, to be completely honest. I feel confident in my abilities; felt confident for many years so I don’t feel nervous. I am trying to think back on the last time I felt nervous; not to say that I am never excited, I am always excited. I always look forward to be going out there. I do get the butterflies, especially in a moment when you’re dealing with Vince McMahon, but that is not necessarily being nervous. I feel that I have great confidence in my abilities, and being in the ring with Vince McMahon was no different.”
“When I showed up on Monday Night Raw and confronted John Cena that first night, to me, I felt like I was exactly where I belonged; this is where I belong. Obviously, two-and-a-half years later I have had a lot more experience in front of the cameras, and in front of the larger audiences, but it goes back to how I had been doing this for 15 years prior to coming to WWE, and I had never compromised who I was. I always had confidence in myself, and I still do. I didn’t feel nervous at all, I felt right at home.”
The tension was palpable when the former champion and WWE chairman stood nose-to-nose in the squared circle, and after the Hell in a Cell match between Owens and Shane was announced by Vince, Owens went ahead and head-butted the 72-year-old and left him bloodied in the ring. That move was followed by a brutal beat down that went on for several minutes and included a splash off the top rope. In the same interview, Owens also commented that the appearance of blood, whether planned or unexpected, can add to an angle.
“Blood is a rarity now; it’s something that will happen whether we like it or not sometimes,” Owens said. “What we do is very physical and there is just no way around it. Whether it is blood showing up like for example, when I got bloodied up against CJ Parker. CJ Parker was not intending to break my nose, but it made for a special visual and a special moment. Sometimes blood does add to the drama. You can call it a lucky coincidence, although I am not sure if coincidence is the word I am looking for. When it does appear, you mine as well use it for your advantage.”
Owens did also talk about how he considered being in the ring with Vince McMahon to be a more significant accomplishment for him than winning a gold belt.
“I’ve said this before, to my relatives and friends, but there are moments in my WWE career: winning the Universal title, my debut in NXT, my debut on Raw. Winning the Intercontinental title was a huge deal for me, but being in the ring with Vince McMahon and giving him the worst beating he has probably ever taken outside of a wrestling match, but besides receiving the type of reaction when he went bell to bell with somebody, I don’t think I’ve seen anybody beat Vince McMahon to a pulp like how I beat him, but it was special. It was something that will stay with me for a very long time. When I look back on my accolades and the things I had accomplished, when it is all set and done it’ll be on the top of the list for sure.”
[Featured Image by WWE]
