Kevin Owens Reveals Why He Rejected WWE’s Pitch for Him During Roman Reigns Feud in 2021

When the entire world was crippled by the menace of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns were engaged in a heated feud.

Kevin Owens Reveals Why He Rejected WWE’s Pitch for Him During Roman Reigns Feud in 2021

Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns [via- WWE]

Kevin Owens is often hailed as one of the most self-aware modern-day wrestling characters of all time. He’s a true daredevil inside that squared circle but, at the same time, quite meticulous about what the fans think of him. Which is why he outright rejected a bizarre pitch from WWE’s end that was made to him during his intense rivalry with Roman Reigns dating back to the Thunderdome Era.

Owens made the revelation on the Cody Rhodes-hosted ‘What Do You Wanna Talk About?’ podcast. ‘The Prizefighter’ disclosed that WWE presented him with the idea of introducing Damian Priest from NXT as his best friend to bolster his cause against Reigns’ Bloodline. Owens was baffled by it and wondered why anyone would even believe that Priest was his running mate in kayfabe, as they’d never interacted on screen.

The former Universal Champion wasn’t against pairing up with Priest. But he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that WWE wanted ‘El Campeon’ to act like Owens was his bestie all of a sudden when there was no precedent for it. Not only was the Puerto Rican wrestler pitched to be inserted into the story, but he was also supposed to replace Owens against Reigns at Royal Rumble 2021.

The erstwhile Kevin Steen mentioned that he was relaxed that he didn’t sabotage Priest’s career, as the latter went on to debut on the main roster shortly after it. Owens had umpteen battles with ‘The Street King’ during the summer of 2023, at a time when The Judgment Day was terrorizing Monday nights on Raw.

When did Kevin Owens last step in the ring with Roman Reigns?

Kevin Owens has had a number of matches with Roman Reigns in WWE. But the last time they went one-on-one at the Royal Rumble PLE in 2023, Vince McMahon was still around, the company hadn’t been merged with the UFC, and CM Punk was beefing in AEW. It’s been that long since Owens and Reigns shared the ring in a singles setting.

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens
Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens [via- WWE]

But when they did take each other on that night, what happened after their match is remembered as one of the greatest WWE endings ever. As Reigns and The Usos continued annihilating ‘The Prizefighter,’ his then-best friend, Sami Zayn, who had been on the verge of falling out with ‘The Bloodline,’ finally got rid of being used as a puppet of Reigns by smashing a steel chair across ‘The OTC’s back.

Zayn turning on Reigns received a gigantic pop from the San Antonio crowd. However, both Zayn and Owens were beaten up and left in an unconscious state by the Bloodline members before they left amid a cascade of boos. Zayn and Owens would eventually resolve their differences and team up to dethrone The Usos for the tag team titles in the main event of WrestleMania 39.

Kevin Owens finally reveals when he’s undergoing neck surgery

An unfortunate neck injury forced Kevin Owens to pull out of this year’s WrestleMania in what was a huge bummer for him and the WWE Universe. Had he stayed intact, the 41-year-old would’ve gone on to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41. But it wasn’t in the cards after all.

Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens (via- WWE)

Almost three months removed, Owens has yet to undergo surgery. Speaking to Cody Rhodes in the aforementioned conversation, the Canuck revealed that he’s set for a spinal fusion surgery in mid-July. ‘The Canadian Dream’ also claimed that after months of pain-free experience, all the imaginable symptoms of his injury had unfortunately returned within the last week.

Owens described it as a “f***ing brutal” experience and said he can’t wait to be done with the surgery. As of now, KO is on track to miss next year’s WrestleMania and beyond. Moreover, his in-ring return isn’t, at all, a guarantee. It’d eventually come down to how well he recovers after being operated upon.

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