After facing ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38 this year, Kevin Owens has set his sights on another legendary Texan: Shawn Michaels.

In April, Owens faced Austin in the main event of Night One, losing to the Rattlesnake in Austin’s first match in 19 years.

Austin and WWE were said to be extremely pleased with how the match went and there have been discussions of another match at WrestleMania 39 next year.

Owens Vs. Michaels

Appearing on Kevin Raphael’s podcast this week, Owens revealed that he recently pitched a match between himself and Shawn Michaels.

Owens figured that after the Austin match happened, nothing was impossible and he and Michaels discussed the match when Owens came to NXT to host the KO Show in October.

Michaels told Owens that he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t considered getting back in the ring, especially after seeing the match with Austin in April.

However, he also said that he doesn’t think he should wrestle again.

Owens said on the podcast that the goal is to wrestle two of his all-time favorite wrestlers (Austin and Michaels) a goal that he’s already half-completed.

Michaels Back in the Ring

Owens Vs. Michaels would be a huge match, but he’s hardly the first person to set his sights on Mr. WrestleMania.

AJ Styles previously pitched a match with Michaels, one that the two-time WWE Hall of Famer turned down.

Michaels retired from in-ring competition in 2010, but competed at Crown Jewel 2018, teaming with Triple H to defeat the Brothers of Destruction.

The match was the biggest payday in Michaels’ career, and it is believed he earned around $3 million, equivalent to $1,800 per second of the nearly 28-minute match.

Kevin Owens will go down in history as the second-ever WWE Universal Champion, but the Prizefighter did not enjoy his time on top.

Owens won the vacated title on the August 29, 2016, episode of Monday Night Raw, defeating Seth Rollins, Big Cass, and Roman Reigns, albeit with help from Triple H.

The title, which was won by Finn Balor at that year’s Summerslam, had been vacated due to a shoulder injury the Irish Superstar suffered during his title match.

Biggest Lesson

Owens has been with WWE since 2014, but established his name on the independent scene years prior to signing.

Speaking on After the Bell, Owens was asked about what advice he’d give his younger self, and encouraged them to stop and smell the proverbial roses.

“I used to always want more and more and more. What’s next? What’s next? What’s next? There are so many moments over the past eight years that I didn’t properly enjoy because I was always worried about what was the next thing.”

Owens also expressed an interest in a return to the indies, believing it is possible now as part of WWE’s new regime.

Universal Champion.

Kevin Owens’ Universal title win marked the first (and to-date only) World Championship for the Canadian on the main roster.

Unfortunately, Owens couldn’t stop and smell the proverbial roses as he was frustrated during his run on top.

On the podcast, the Canadian Superstar explained why he could not enjoy his reign.

“When I was Universal Champion, I had this incredible run with Chris Jericho and so many great moments, so many fun moments that people still talk about today. I’m ashamed to say that I really did not enjoy that as much as I should have.

“I’m ashamed to say that I really did not enjoy that as much as I should have.”

Kevin Owens.

“I enjoy it now looking back. When I watch the stuff we were doing together, it’s so fun, it’s so good. But in that moment, I wouldn’t take the time to appreciate what I was doing because I was worried. ‘Okay next week, what are we doing?'”

Owens’ reign would end at Fastlane 2017 when he was squashed by Bill Goldberg, after being distracted by his former friend Chris Jericho.

Kevin Owens could soon be tearing it up on the independent scene once more, despite being a WWE Superstar.

Prior to signing with WWE in 2014, Owens competed as Kevin Steen in various promotions, including CZW, PWG and Ring of Honor.

The Prizefighter is one of several indie names to make it big in WWE, including El Generico (Sami Zayn,) Tyler Black (Seth Rollins,) and Matt Riddle.

Nakamura Vs. Muta

On January 1, Shinsuke Nakamura will face the Great Muta for Pro Wrestling NOAH, as part of Muta’s retirement tour.

Speaking about the match on WWE After the Bell, Owens expressed his excitement as a fan of both men to see the match.

“When I saw the announcement for the match, they had it when Shinsuke’s music hit in the video, it gave me absolute goosebumps. Knowing how incredible that is for the fans, it’s such a treat, it’s such a surprise. You never would have thought that it was something that could happen. Not only is it happening but it’s something I’m sure means a lot for Shinsuke.”

Muta Vs. Nakamura will take place as part of NOAH’s The New Year 2023 event at Budokan Hall.

Return to the Indies

The idea of a WWE-contracted Superstar working for Pro Wrestling NOAH would have seemed unfeasible during the Vince McMahon era of the company.

Since McMahon’s retirement, Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, and Triple H have made several changes to a WWE that feels much different.

When asked if he hopes to see more crossover between WWE and other promotions, Owens expressed a desire to return to the independent scene while still working for WWE.

“Yeah, for sure [I’d like to have matches on the indies.] I’m very deeply rooted in the independent scene. That’s where I came up. I still have so many friends there. There are a few wrestling companies, independent companies that I still hold very near and dear to my heart that I’d love to maybe one day show back up on just for fun whether it’s a promo or maybe it’s a match.

“Now it feels like more of a possibility than ever.”

Kevin Owens on return to the Indpendents whilst working for WWE.

“That’s stuff that over the years I’ve always thought ‘hey man, it’d be really cool if I get to do that one day.’ Now it feels like more of a possibility than ever. And that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen but it feels that it could now. And that’s very exciting. The fans and the wrestlers.”

Owens concluded by highlighting how there is incredible talent on the independents, as people have dedicated themselves to an industry where it is difficult to make a living.

“If you get someone from the independent scene, most of the time, you’ll get someone who is very passionate.”

For use of these quotes please give a h/t to SEScoops.

Brock Lesnar has worked with some of the biggest names in the history of the wrestling business although he has been known to be hard to work with. 

Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose, has spoken openly about Lesnar not wanting to do anything wild in their WrestleMania 32 match in 2016. 

On the latest edition of the Oh You Didn’t Know podcast WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg spoke about Lesnar and this is where he claimed that The Beast didn’t want to work with Kevin Owens. 

The Story

This was brought up when discussing Lesnar facing AJ Styles at Survivor Series instead of Jinder Mahal after Lesnar said he didn’t want to work with Kevin Owens:

“I want to clarify, it is not that he did not want to work with Jinder. It’s that he really thought he could have a better match with AJ. So I just wanted that to be clear. Like because look, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Brock saying I don’t want [to], I’m not working with that guy. Well, I did, I did hear that with Kevin Owens, but only him.”

Road pointed out how Lesnar had a good amount of pull due to the relationship he has with Vince McMahon. 

“Look, Brock is that kind of talent, like I just talked about, has a special relationship with Vince. And so apparently they had a conversation and, and a decision, a creative decision was made. We’re gonna go with AJ Styles as a champion into this tournament at Night of Champions.”

Transcription courtesy of Inside The Ropes

Kevin Owens will step inside the iconic WarGames structure for the second time in his career after making his return to TV on this week’s SmackDown.

Owens had been missing from programming in recent weeks, with his most recent televised match being a six-man tag victory in September of this year.

Return and WarGames

This week’s SmackDown kicked off with a segment between the Bloodline’s Sami Zayn and The Brawling Brutes with Drew McIntyre.

After the Honorary Uce vowed that the Bloodline will win the Men’s WarGames match, Sheamus said that Zayn in particular wouldn’t appreciate their fifth member.

In the main event, Butch defeated Zayn in the SmackDown World Cup Tournament but was attacked by Solo Sikoa after the match.

When Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns arrived to take care of business, he was confronted by the returning Owens.

The two brawled until Owens turned his attention to Zayn, and the Tribal Chief took advantage with a Superman punch.

Reigns’ attempt to hit the spear did not work out, as Owens hit him with a knee to the face followed by a Stunner to send the Head of the Table reeling.

Injury

Owens involvement in the Men’s WarGames match is certainly interesting considering the injury he recently suffered.

At a WWE Sunday Night Stunner event in Madison, Wisconsin last week, Owens suffered an injury during his match with Austin Theory.

While he was able to finish the match, Owens needed the assistance of a referee to stand afterward, and it was reported that he had suffered an MCL sprain.

The former Universal Champion is scheduled to be on next week’s SmackDown, the go-home episode before Survivor Series WarGames.

Could Kevin Owens compete in WarGames at Survivor Series later this month despite his injury?

At a WWE Live event, Owens suffered an injury during his match with Austin Theory which the Canadian Superstar would go on to win.

It was later reported that Owens is dealing with a sprained MCL and has been rehabbing at WWE’s Performance Center in Florida.

SmackDown

With Owens injured, many assumed that plans for him to compete at WWE’s upcoming Premium Live Event had been canceled.

According to PW Insider however, Owens is scheduled to be on this week’s Smackdown, despite being a Raw Superstar.

The former Universal Champion is also scheduled for next week’s SmackDown, which will be the go-home episode before Survivor Series WarGames.

The original plan was for Owens to be part of the Men’s WarGames match, which would have seen him team with Drew McIntyre and the Brawling Brutes against the Bloodline.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Owens “better heal up quick” if he wants a chance to compete in WarGames.

Survivor Series WarGames

This month’s Survivor Series will mark the first time that WarGames has been used on the main roster.

In addition to the men’s match, the event will also feature a women’s match, between Team Bianca and Team Damage CTRL.

Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley, and Nikki Cross will face Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and one final teammate yet to be announced.

It has been reported that WWE is planning some ‘craziness’ in this year’s WarGames matches, to produce footage that can be used in the future.

Kevin Owens is said to be struggling after suffering an injury at a recent WWE Live event.

Over the weekend, Owens suffered an injury during a match with Austin Theory which the Prizefighter would go on to win.

Owens was helped to the back by the referee and it was later reported that he is dealing with a sprained MCL.

Struggling

Owens was not part of this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw, which served as the penultimate episode of the red brand before Survivor Series WarGames

While speaking during the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that Owens is struggling after his injury according to a source close to the situation.

“I did hear that he’s not moving very well. So he better heal up quick if he’s gonna make that pay-per-view.”

Dave Meltzer.

Meltzer added that as of Monday morning, Owens’ injury has not been checked by a medical professional, but he has been rehabbing at the WWE’s Performance Center in Florida.

Survivor Series WarGames

It is expected that Owens will miss this month’s Survivor Series Premium Live Event, which will mark the debut of WarGames on the main roster.

Owens was reported to have been part of the Men’s WarGames match, which would have seen him team with Drew McIntyre and the Brawling Brutes against the Bloodline.

Given Owens’ injury, the Prizefighter is unlikely to compete, and Meltzer said an angle may be filmed for this Friday’s SmackDown to introduce someone else as the fifth member.

Kevin Owens’ return to WWE programming would have seen him thrust into the main event, had he not gone down with a recent injury.

Owens has been absent from programming as of late, with his most recent televised match seeing him compete in a six-man tag on SmackDown in September of this year.

At a WWE Live event earlier this month, Owens addressed his absence from TV, saying he is going to “kick everyone’s ass” when he is back.

The Injury

Any plans for Owens to kick ass won’t be happening anytime soon, as the Prizefighter suffered an injury at a WWE Live event last week.

Competing at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, Owens suffered an MCL sprain during his match with Austin Theory, and quickly finished with a Stunner.

After the match, Owens had to be helped to the back by the referee of the match.

Plans

Owens’ injury comes at a time when he hasn’t been featured on TV, but WWE did have plans that were going to start soon.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Owens was going to be the final man for the face team at Survivor Series WarGames.

Had he not suffered the injury, Owens would have likely teamed with The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch,) and Drew McIntyre.

The four tackled the Bloodline on last week’s SmackDown and while the match hasn’t been confirmed yet, it is expected that the Men’s WarGames match will be made official this Friday.

Given Roman Reigns’ involvement in the match, the bout is guaranteed to headline Survivor Series WarGames.

Kevin Owens will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future as the WWE star suffered a right knee injury at Sunday’s WWE house show in Madison, Wisconsin, during a match with Austin Theory.

Fans in attendance had noted coming out of the event that it appeared Owens was injured when it looked like he blew out his knee after planting it during the bout. They went right to the finish, where Owens scored the victory with a stunner, although Owens needed help from the referee to get to the back.

Owens was said to have a concerned look on his face as he was limping to the backstage area, and for good reason. 

Kevin Owens

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter confirmed the injury is an MCL sprain and “the way it was worded was that hopefully that is all the injury is with the idea it could be more than that.

The former WWE Universal Champion has been off Monday Night Raw for the past few weeks because he wasn’t going to the Saudi Arabia Crown Jewel event on November 5th but has been wrestling on the house shows.

We hope to have more information shortly. From all of us at SEScoops, we wish Owens a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in the ring.

Kevin Owens is headed to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida for tonight’s episode of NXT. Owen posted a video on Twitter announcing that it was Shawn Michaels who extended the invite.

According to KO, Michaels wants him to oversee the in-ring meeting between Bron Breakker, Ilja Dragunov, and JD McDonagh. These three men will compete for Breakker’s NXT Championship this weekend at Halloween Havoc.

You can watch Kevin Owens’ message about attending tonight’s NXT right here:

NXT Preview (October 18, 2022)

Owens, a former NXT Champion, is not the only main roster Superstar appearing on NXT. The show will also feature Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriquez, Sonya Deville Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in action.

Here’s a preview for the show:

• Cora Jade vs. Raquel Rodriguez

• Roxanne Perez vs. Rhea Ripley

• The Schism (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid) vs. Cameron Grimes, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

• Alba Fyre vs. Sonya Deville

• Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. an opponent of Tony D’Angelo’s choosing

Kevin Owens has kept an eye on the up-and-coming talents in NXT, and he knows which stars he would call if he ever needs back up.

Owens and Johnny Gargano were both the guests of the latest episode of The Bump. During the episode, KO was asked which NXT stars he would like to work with if given a chance. Replying to it, Owens mentioned how the Creed Brothers have been under the leadership of Roderick Strong as part of The Diamond Mine:

“You know, there’s a lot of really good talent over there but right now I think the Creed brothers are kind of head and shoulders above everyone else, if I’m gonna be brutally honest.” said Kevin Owens, “I really love them. I love to be in the ring with them or you know if I ever need backup, they’re probably guys I would look to. They had great leadership for a while and clearly it did them some good. They’re thriving.”

Johnny Gargano then chimed in to offer some more praise to the former NXT Tag Team Champions. He noted that the Creed Brothers know ‘the trick’ to be successful in the wrestling business:

“Speaking just from one-on-one standpoint, they also have incredible minds and are open to learn and willing to listen. They generally wanna be good at this and that is the, that’s the trick right there [for being successful].”

You can check out the full Bump episode featuring Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Sheamus On How Many Years Are Left In His Wrestling Career
• Kevin Owens Opens Up About ‘Wrestler’ Promo With Drew McIntyre
• Chris Jericho Reveals What He Didn’t Like About Working For WWE
• Bayley Comments On New NXT Logo
• ‘This Guy Looks Like A Jobber’: Chris Jericho Recalls Initial Reaction To AEW Star

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

The ‘wrestler’ promo between Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre a few weeks ago emphasized what WWE under Triple H will be all about. During the promo Owens declared himself as the prizefighter once again and McIntyre also claimed that he knows exactly who he is. The Scottish Warrior has since come out and admitted that the promo of Owens lit a fire under him.

Owens opened up about this promo and the credit McIntyre gave him afterward during his most recent appearance on The Bump. He noted how it seemed like Drew had lost himself in the last few years:

“What I told Drew that night, I felt that way about Drew for a long time.” said Kevin Owens, “I think he’s incredible in the ring but to me it seemed like he always tried to be something he’s not. I told him that right to his face and obviously that did something to him. Look he wants to credit me for it, I don’t want to take any credit.

I didn’t always feel that way. I thought Drew McIntyre, a few years ago, was tremendous. Then I don’t know something happened. I’m not sure what it is exactly but at one point, In the last few years, I felt like he just, I don’t know if he was more worried about coming across as a superstar, whatever it was, but I felt like he lost himself.”

‘Lot Of Respect For Drew’: Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens then mentioned how the promo lit a fire under Drew McIntyre and he has been on an incredible run ever since:

“I told him that and obviously, as he just said, it lit something under him and I’m glad it did. I feel like since then, he has been on an incredible run. He came as close as it gets to winning that title. Probably should be champion now to be honest. I look forward to being in the ring with him again. I have a lot of respect for Drew, but sometimes you just got to get stuff off your chest when you have the chance.”

You can watch the full The Bump episode featuring Kevin Owens below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Chris Jericho Reveals What He Didn’t Like About Working For WWE
• Bayley Comments On New NXT Logo
• ‘This Guy Looks Like A Jobber’: Chris Jericho Recalls Initial Reaction To AEW Star
• Chris Jericho Discusses Cody Rhodes’ Decision To Never Challenge For AEW Title
• Claudio Castagnoli Opens Up About WrestleMania 34 Loss To Nicholas

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Kevin Owens cut what many fans consider one of the best promos of 2022 in WWE during this week’s episode of Raw while calling out Austin Theory for having a bad attitude. 

Owens tried to fire up Theory and wanted him to prove he wasn’t like the many promising young stars who have flamed out.

“Prove me wrong. Prove all of these people wrong. You know how to do it? You know how to do it? I’ll tell you. You stop thinking about the moments that were handed to you, and you start making your own moments. You know how to do that? You check your ego at the door, you look at yourself in the mirror, and you realize you’re not as good as you think you are, but you let your passion drive you to get better. 

Owens continued, “More importantly, you leave everything you have in this ring every time you step foot in front of these people. That, that’s how you prove me wrong. That’s how you become the future. That’s how you become the face of WWE,” he concluded.

Theory Reacts

Owens’ strong words didn’t connect with Theory, who flexed his bicep and told him that he’ll never look like the youngest United States Champion in company history.  However, while speaking with WWE.com, Theory did a promo listing his accomplishments after the show. 

“I’m tired of people trying to downplay my achievements like I haven’t busted my a**,” Theory said. “I’m the future, and the future is right in front of you.”

Owens and Theory will wrestle on next week’s Raw, two weeks after Owens beat Theory in just under 17 minutes during a match on Raw. 

Transcription courtesy of ComicBook

It appears that Kevin Owens weighed in on the situation involving CM Punk at the post-AEW All Out media scrum, where he put several top stars on blast. 

Punk beat Jon Moxley to win back the AEW World Heavyweight Title in the main event of All Out. While speaking with the media, Punk stated that the AEW EVPs (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) couldn’t run a Target store. 

He also ripped Hangman Page for his comments during a promo earlier this year on an episode of Dynamite heading into their Double Or Nothing Match, where Pun won the title from Page. Punk also dismissed speculation that he had anything to do with Colt Cabana not being used on AEW programming. 

As previously reported, Punk got into a backstage altercation with The Young Bucks at the media scrum. 

Kevin Owens’ Tweet

Owens, who is good friends with Matt & Nick Jackson, shared a photo of him throwing hands with Steve Austin from their main event match at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year. 

This is notable as Punk has previously talked about being upset that he never got to headline WrestleMania. 

Punk and Owens had a falling out several years ago when they both worked in ROH due to Owens wrestling in a t-shirt. 

In 2019, Chris Jericho joined AEW at the promotion’s launch event and has consistently been one of the company’s top stars.

Later that year, Jericho would become the first AEW World Champion, and his work as part of the Inner Circle and later the Jericho Appreciation Society has kept him a fixture on TV.

Returning to WWE

Jericho has been a fixture of AEW for over three years now, but there are still some fans who hope to see him in WWE again.

It was in WWE that Jericho became a nine-time Intercontinental Champion (a record that stands to this day) and the first-ever WWE Undisputed Champion.

On Twitter, a fan suggested to Jericho that a return to WWE would be good for him, and that matches pitting Jericho against AJ Styles or Kevin Owens would be ‘fire.’

In response, Jericho pointed out that these matches have happened, multiple times.

Jericho was the first major feud for Styles after the former TNA Wrestling star joined WWE in 2016.

Jericho Vs. Owens

Fans won’t be seeing Chris Jericho face Kevin Owens in WWE, but this is a match fans have seen before.

In 2017, the former friends feuded after Jericho cost Owens the Universal Championship, payback for Owens attacking Y2J during the Festival of Friendship.

In an interview with TalkSport last year, Jericho said that there had been plans for him Vs. Owens for the Universal Championship as the main event of WrestleMania 33.

After realizing WWE did not care about the feud, which saw Owens beat Jericho for the U.S. Title at WrestleMania, the AEW star said he knew it was time to finish with WWE.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens got to share a touching moment after this week’s episode of SmackDown from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The final segment of this week’s show featured a confrontation between the WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns and the #1 contender for the title Drew McIntyre.

The promo segment turned into a brawl towards the end. When McIntyre first tried to hit Reigns with a Claymore Kick, Sami Zayn interrupted and took the hit instead.

Roman Reigns then tried to hit a Spear on his opponent but the Scottish Warrior managed to counter. He hit a Claymore this time, and the show ended with McIntyre holding up the titles.

After the show went off air, Kevin Owens came out and shared a moment with his longtime best friend. Owens said that he is proud of Sami and that Zayn is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

Though Kevin also mentioned that the former El Generico is too good to be ‘Roman’s bitch.’ Riddle then came out and got the two stars to hug.

The fans then got to see a tag team match where Kevin Owens teamed up with Riddle. They defeated the team of Butch and Ridge Holland. You can check out photos and videos from the dark segment below:

Kevin Owens claims the WWE locker room has been “rejuvenated” by Triple H’s recent promotion.

Owens was recently interviewed by the TWC Show where he was asked about the changes that have gone on within WWE since Triple H took over. Owens got to work very closely with “The Game” during his own days in NXT, before eventually making his way up to the main roster.

Triple H was also a big part of his storyline in which he won the Universal Championship. With Triple H now running creative on the main roster, Owens is able to work with “The Game” again, and “KO” is excited about the reunion.

“Getting to work with Triple H again is really exciting because he’s obviously the reason I’m here, the reason I got my opportunity in WWE, my chance to go to tryout and eventually get signed and everything.

“When I first started out, I was in NXT for a few months and I got to work directly with him and it was so enlightening. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of people that have tremendous minds for this industry.”

Vince McMahon was forced to step down as WWE CEO after some sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced. After those claims began to be investigated, McMahon then retired as head of creative for WWE.

Soon after, Triple H then stepped in to fill the position, and there have already been big changes made under the new regime. Owens adds that the change has “rejuvenated” those in the locker room.

“It rejuvenated everybody, the atmosphere here is pretty great and it’s just cool to see where things go from here.“

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

Kevin Owens is ready to hold tag team gold in WWE.

The Prizefighter recently spoke appeared on the TWC Show to discuss the matter, as it is the one title he has not held since joining the promotion back in 2014. In that time he has captured the NXT championship, the United States championship, the Intercontinental championship, and the Universal championship. However, Owens has not held a title in five years.

When talking about winning a tag title he states that his top pick as a parter is his longtime friend/rival, Sami Zayn.

“Of course. I’ve never been a tag team champion. I’d love to be tag team champion anybody. Well, maybe not anybody. There are a couple of guys I could see myself winning the Tag Team Titles with, obviously, Sami is at the top of the list.”

Owens and Zayn have been dominant as a tag team elsewhere in the pro-wrestling industry, so a win here would be what Owens calls, the ultimate good moment for the duo.

“That would be the ultimate good moment for us, to achieve that. We’ve been tag team champions everywhere we’ve went, except for WWE. We definitely have to get that checked off the list soon enough.”

Owens confronted Drew McIntyre on last night’s Monday Night Raw.

(Quotes via Fightful)

Several notable names have been missing from WWE’s premier shows the last few weeks. This list includes stars such as Kevin Owens. The former Universal champion is considered a ‘Triple H guy.’ People expected him to be featured more prominently on WWE programming after the game took over the creative duties in the company.

However, Owens was not only absent from this Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, but he hasn’t been seen all that much in the past few weeks since the Money In The Bank PPV. Fightful Select provided some update on the situation. They claimed that they haven’t heard anything about an injury that would keep KO out of action. Instead, they’re told that creative plans are being ‘cooked up’ for him moving forward.

Another notable name missing from the shows is Lacey Evans. She was scheduled to face Aliyah in a match during the July 29 episode of SmackDown but the bout was cancelled. It was said on air that Evans wasn’t cleared to compete but there are no immediate creative plans for her. Her name wasn’t discussed for the women’s gauntlet match on SmackDown this week.

• Kevin Owens Explains His Recent Absence From Raw

Lacey Evans was a personal favorite of Vince McMahon. The boss was very hands-on and worked directly with the female star after her return to Raw earlier this year. However, there were no solid plans for her in place, and her WWE return after pregnancy in April was described as ‘chaotic and directionless.’

Finally, Omos hasn’t been featured much on Raw the last several weeks. Though the Nigerian Giant has still been on the road, being managed by MVP. The Monstrous athlete faced Ezekiel on the Main Event tapings on Monday. There is no word on when he may return to Raw or SmackDown.

The report says that several talents are in the same boat and waiting to learn their direction under the new management. Some have had meetings directly with Triple H about it, but the details of them are unavailable.

• Lacey Evans Talks Experiencing Her First Money in the Bank on a Roof

Kevin Owens finally returned on Monday Night Raw this week from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida after not appearing on the show since the June 20 episode.

The former Universal champion was scheduled to compete in a Money In The Bank match against Ezekiel, Elias, or Elrod on the show.

However, the bout was cancelled by the officials and replaced with a last-chance battle royal without any explanation. Riddle won this battle royal and Owens had been absent from WWE programming ever since.

Kevin Owens Explains

The former NXT champion finally made his return during tonight’s show. He held a new edition of KO show with Riddle as his guest.

During the segment Kevin Owens explained that he went on a nature retreat because he was going crazy due to his obsession with Ezekiel.

The Raw star claimed that the time away helped him gain perspective and he doesn’t care about Ezekiel or Elias anymore. He mentioned that he still wants them to fail.

The real reason behind Owens’ absence from WWE programming is still unknown. Some speculate that he was down with an illness but it doesn’t appear to be the case since Kevin was seen at the NHL Draft earlier this month.

• WWE RAW Results (7/18/22): Logan Paul & The Miz, AJ Styles vs. Theory, Becky Lynch & Bianca Belair

There is a new update regarding Kevin Owen’s WWE absence over the last two weeks.

Owens strikingly missed the go-home episode of RAW for Money in the Bank. He was supposed to participate in a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match between him and Ezekiel.

Owens wasn’t on last week’s Raw, and now it seems like we may have to wait a bit longer for his return.

This week, a video of Owens saying it’s “in their hands right now” circulated. The video led fans to believe that he’s personally ready to return, it’s just a case of WWE making it happen.

Owens Update

Dave Meltzer, on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, reported that Kevin is “fine,” but he’ll likely be back in a few more weeks.

It was previously reported that the former WWE Universal Champion had been out of action due to a minor injury.

NHL Draft Appearance

Kevin Owens recently made an appearance at the NHL Draft to surprise a high-profile fan, Bruce Boudreau, the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

Kevin Owens was noticeably absent from last night’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW.

Owens was scheduled and advertised for the show, as he was to face off against one of the three brothers; Ezekiel, Elias, or Elrod in a Money In The Bank qualifying match. However, the match never happened, with the commentary team noting that it had to be “rescheduled.”

Instead, WWE held a Battle Royal, where the winner would qualify for the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder match, which was won by Riddle.

With that being said, the match likely needed to be rescheduled as Owens wasn’t on the program at all, while Ezekiel did make a backstage appearance with John Cena.

Wrestling Observer Radio‘s Dave Meltzer noted that, whatever the situation is with Owens, it’s “minor.”

Meltzer didn’t check if Owens would be ready to go Friday Night on SmackDown, but he wasn’t ready to go Monday night, but it was “nothing serious.”

Kevin Owens did take to Twitter to acknowledge his absence, saying he didn’t go because he didn’t want to go to Texas, where the show was taking place.

This was a reference to his story line with Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year, where Austin defeated Owens in an impromptu No Holds Barred match – Austin’s first match in over 17 years.

As promised, Elias made his highly-anticipated return and Kevin Owens got more than he bargained for.

For weeks, KO has been trying to prove that Ezekiel, Elias’ younger brother, is actually Elias. Zeke promised his older brother would show up on the June 20 episode of Monday Night Raw and he delivered.

Before Elias could get a song going, however, Owens interrupted.

KO was not convinced that the video of Elias and Ezekiel having a face-to-face conversation was real. He got inside the ring and smashed Elias’ guitar.

This prompted Elias to take another guitar and smash it over Owens’ back.

When KO got to the back, he challenged Ezekiel, Elias, or their alleged long-lost brother “Elrod.” Zeke ended up accepting the challenge.

John Cena has been teasing a match with the current US champion Theory recently. Kevin Owens has now responded to his latest tease.

The Cenation Leader called the current champion his favorite WWE star during a recent Q&A. The two then made social media posts referencing each other.

The latest such post from Cena was a picture of the United States title. Kevin Owens reacted to this photo on Twitter and he called out John by his full name:

The promotion has since confirmed that John Cena will be returning to the company very soon. He will make an appearance on the June 27 episode of Raw to celebrate his 20-year anniversary with WWE.

John Cena and Kevin Owens

There is no word yet on if Cena will stick around or if his appearance will be a one-off thing. Both ways, it’s possible that they will use this appearance to set up his next feud.

The last time the Cenation Leader held the US championship was in 2015. He helped elevate the title to new heights with his open challenges.

It was during this title reign when Kevin Owens made his main roster debut and confronted John Cena. It’d be interesting to see if they get to reignite this rivalry when John returns.

A big-time member of the Monday Night Raw roster will be appearing on WWE SmackDown tonight (May 27).

The official WWE Twitter account has announced that Kevin Owens will be hosting the KO Show on the blue brand.

Earlier this week, Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline took to Wrestling Observer Live to say that while WWE hasn’t announced anything, the brand split is “essentially done.”

Alvarez had reported some of the Raw crew would be present for the May 27 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Judging by the announcement of the KO Show, that report looks to be correct.

Owens has been in a feud with Ezekiel, the alleged younger brother of Elias. Kevin Owens has accused Ezekiel of lying for weeks and it’ll lead to a match between the two at the Hell in a Cell premium live event on June 5.

WWE SmackDown tonight will emanate from the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, AR.