Kevin Owens has been a formidable force throughout his decade-long tenure with WWE. He is no stranger to high-profile matches like the one he wrestled in the opening against undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Bash in Berlin pay-per-view on Saturday. Owens' career is one that he and countless others have dreamed of, but unfortunately it has taken him nearly half of his run to truly appreciate it.
Owens was an early benefactor of WWE's renewed interest in signing top independent wrestlers. He signed with WWE in 2014 and won the NXT Championship two months after his debut. His first main roster match was a clean pinfall win against the all-time great John Cena. It probably ranks as one of the best first six months for a WWE Superstar. Owens became an Intercontinental Champion and reached the semifinals of a vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship before his first full year as a WWE signee ended. He continued his tremendous success over the next two years, becoming Universal and United States Champion.
“From 2015 to 2018, that’s all I can think about,” Owens told CBS Sports about his title ambitions. “Back then I was champion all the time. I was Intercontinental Champion, US Champion, Universal Champion, and I was never happy. I always wanted more.”
“I wanted next week to be bigger. I finished a game and thought about what's next week? The people I spoke to said, 'I don't know what's coming next week, we'll find out.' I really didn't enjoy any of it as much as I should have.
Owens fulfilled much of his childhood dream, but was too blinded by passion to enjoy it. To illustrate how much Owens loves professional wrestling, he learned English by watching WWE programs. The future champion didn't master the language until he was 11 years old, learning the vocabulary by listening to legendary WWE commentator Jim Ross. This childhood fascination sparked a lifelong devotion to professional wrestling. Owens debuted at the age of 16 and spent 14 years creating an acclaimed independent run that eventually caught the attention of WWE.
Owens couldn't escape a self-sabotaging cycle of success until he was forced to. Owens took a five-month break in 2018 to recover from double knee surgery. It was his first opportunity in years to prioritize self-reflection.
“I needed this time off because I was with WWE for four years,” Owens said. “It's like being on a train. You get in and don't get out. You don’t realize how quickly time goes by.”
“I've talked to people about how hard it was for me to switch off and not be consumed by wrestling all the time.”
The time off was physically and emotionally healing. Faced with the realization that his all-consuming passion for professional wrestling was no longer optimal, Owens called one of his idols out of the blue. Shawn Michaels answered on the other end.
“He was kind enough to listen to me,” Owens said. “He said he was like me in many ways throughout his career. He was always obsessed with what was next and didn't enjoy the ride. Hearing that from someone I looked up to so much helped me let go.”
“Since then, there are still moments where I get carried away, but I can step back and say, 'Hey, this is pretty incredible.' Maybe it's not perfect or sometimes it's not what you imagine, but this was very helpful.
Check out the full interview with Kevin Owens below.
Owens' presence came just in time. While he didn't get to enjoy his sole reign as WWE World Champion, Owens was able to enjoy rarer and more notable moments. He took on childhood hero “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the legendary wrestler's first match in 19 years and won the Undisputed Tag Team Championships with his best friend Sami Zayn in a WrestleMania 39 main event. Next up is the first WWE title match on a German PPV.
“It worked well. I was in the ring with Randy Orton at WrestleMania this year. Mind-blowing stuff.”
