Kevin Owens Explains Why He Was Never Happy as the WWE Universal Champion
Kevin Owens shared how he hated his 2016-17 run as the WWE Universal Champion and had an obsession to crave for more.
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Kevin Owens (Image: WWE)
Kevin Owens is currently off WWE television, with fans eagerly awaiting the return of the Prize Fighter. Considering the decorated career he has built in WWE, many fans find it surprising that his last world title reign dates back to 2017. Between 2015 and 2018, Owens established himself as one of the company’s biggest stars by capturing the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship, and even the Universal Championship.
Despite the success of his run as Universal Champion, Owens later admitted that he did not fully enjoy that period of his career. Speaking with CBS Sports and SHAK Wrestling’s Shakiel Mahjouri, Owens explained that his constant obsession with chasing the next big accomplishment prevented him from appreciating the moment and enjoying his time as champion.
Kevin Owens shared how he always wanted his next week to be bigger
During the interview, Kevin Owens opened up about how he was never truly happy during his remarkable run from 2015 to 2018, despite winning nearly every major singles championship in WWE. Reflecting on that period, Owens admitted, “That was when I was Champion all the time. I was Intercontinental Champion, I was US champion, I was the Universal champion, and I was never happy. Never happy”.
Owens further explained that he was constantly focused on making the following week bigger than the last, often asking WWE creative about the plans ahead, only to find out that nothing had been finalized for him. According to the Canadian, that mindset prevented him from fully appreciating and enjoying his championship reign at the time.
Reflecting on the experience, Owens said, “I’d finish a match and think, ‘Okay, what’s next week now?’ And you know, the people I’d speak to were like, ‘I don’t know, we don’t know what’s next week, we’ll figure it out.’ You know what I mean? And I just, I really didn’t enjoy any of it as much as I should have”.
Kevin Owens revealed how his knee injury hiatus helped him to put things in perspective
Following his physically demanding run from 2015 to 2018, Kevin Owens suffered a double knee injury in 2018 that sidelined him for five months. Looking back on that difficult period, he admitted the time away from the ring helped him gain a new perspective on both his career and personal life.
Discussing the impact of the break, Owens said, “I spent five months at home, away from it, and I think that really helped me put things in perspective. I really needed to get that time away because at that time, I’d been on the road for four years with WWE, and it’s like a train—you know, you get on, and you just don’t get off. You don’t realize how quickly time passes.”
Owens began his 188-day reign as Universal Champion on August 29, 2016, when he defeated Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Big Cass in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match, thanks in large part to a shocking assist from Triple H.
However, Owens’ title reign came to an abrupt and unceremonious end when he dropped the championship to Goldberg at Fastlane on March 5, 2017. Since then, the Prize Fighter has challenged for multiple world championships but has yet to reclaim WWE’s top prize.
Owens is currently sidelined after undergoing neck surgery in July last year, with fans continuing to eagerly await his return. As his recovery progresses, it remains to be seen when the former Universal Champion will finally make his long-anticipated comeback to WWE television.
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Priyansh Bhatt
(16 Articles Published)