When Kevin Owens first joined WWE, he knew right away he did not want to end up like Dolph Ziggler.
Ziggler has accomplished quite a bit under the WWE’s banner; including two World Heavyweight Title wins, six Intercontinental Title runs, two United States Title victories, a Money In The Bank ladder match win, and so much more. However, despite all his accolades, Ziggler, along with many others, believe he was underutilized.
Upon joining WWE in 2014, Owens spotted how frustrated Ziggler was with his position in the company, and knew immediately he did not want to end up in the same boat. “KO” explained during a recent interview with Corey Graves on “WWE After The Bell.”
“He’s a guy I respect a ton, and I don’t think I’ve ever told him this but he’s one of the guys that I would look at and be like, ‘I don’t want to be like Dolph,’” Owens said. “In the sense that he’s so good and I would see him so frustrated because he’s so good and he feels like he should be doing more, and he was right.
“I remember thinking, man, I don’t want to be like that. This was when I was first [in WWE] in 2014-15, I was like, I don’t want to be like that, I want to come to work and I don’t want to be frustrated all the time.
Owens went on to explain that he’s not a fan of the “you’re in the wrong business” line, finding it too cliche. Instead, he believes some people just have different perspectives, and with enough hard work and persistence, it will all pay off. It certainly did for Ziggler, who found himself winning the NXT Championship not too long ago.
“But guess what, when you’re passionate and hungry and know you’re good, which is what he is, it’s inevitable. It’s going to happen to everybody.
“If you don’t go through that at one point, I’m not going to say you’re in the wrong business because that’s cliche and I don’t believe that, maybe you just have a different perspective, but the hunger to do more and to be able to contribute to the show as much as you think you should or could, that’s normal.
“But it’s important to eventually find that perspective to enjoy it because that’s my thing. I was like, man, Dolph never really seems to enjoy himself. And then that shifted, I’ve seen him now completely differently.”
Ziggler eventually dropped the NXT Championship the night after WrestleMania 38 on Monday Night RAW. He hasn’t wrestled a match on TV since. As for Owens, he’s coming hot off an epic No Holds Barred match with WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania.
Owens welcomed Austin back to the ring for the first time in over 19 years. Now, after suffering a loss to “The Texas Rattlesnake,” Kevin Owens is in the midst of a program with Elias’ new persona, Ezekiel.
Quotes via Wrestling Inc.
