This past Tuesday on SmackDown Live, honorary New Day member, Kevin Owens, would turn on both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.
Owens, who has a long history of turning on friends and tag team partners, showed his true colors once again. The attack would begin after the former Universal Champion nailed Kofi Kingston with a superkick. He would then deliver an impactful powerbomb to the apron onto Xavier Woods, who Owens had been performing commentary moments earlier during Kingston’s matchup against Shinsuke Nakamura.
Now the entirety of the New Day, including currently injured member, Big E, have reacted to the situation. Taking to Twitter, each member shared their thoughts and opinions on Kevin Owens and his actions.
“There Will Be Hell To Pay”
Woods would describe Owens as a “complete garbage human”:
.@FightOwensFight is a trash human. Absolute and complete garbage human.
His stablemate, Big E, described him as a “parasite,” adding that his “greatest joy” will be coming back to dole out a beating on KO.
“KO is the parasite in the system that desperately clings on to its host for life. Once its sucked all of the nutrients it can out of its host, it seeks another. I only take pleasure in knowing the virus has been detected & @TrueKofi & @XavierWoodsPhD will stomp out the organism.”
“My greatest joy will be returning in time to stomp the life out of the already lifeless roach myself.”
KO is the parasite in the system that desperately clings on to its host for life. Once its sucked all of the nutrients it can out of its host, it seeks another. I only take pleasure in knowing the virus has been detected & @TrueKofi & @XavierWoodsPhD will stomp out the organism.
Current WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston, took a more thoughtful approach. He addressed the New Day giving Owens a chance, even when no one else would. He then promises that there will be hell to pay because of his most recent betrayal.
“Sometimes you feel compelled believe in someone and give them a chance, even when no one else will. As unpopular a decision as it may seem at the time, you give them the benefit of the doubt…And Then that person proves everyone right. Mark my words, there will be Hell to pay.”
Sometimes you feel compelled believe in someone and give them a chance, even when no one else will. As unpopular a decision as it may seem at the time, you give them the benefit of the doubt…And Then that person proves everyone right. Mark my words, there will be Hell to pay.
Last night on Smackdown, Kevin Owens (aka “Big O”) turned on Kofi Kingston in the closing moments of the show. Kingston had just won a non-title match against Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when the attack occurred.
Nakamura had taken out Xavier Woods on the outside, leaving Kofi on his own in the ring with KO. Owens then delivered a super-kick to Kofi. Woods would eventually prevent Owens from power-bombing Kingston on the ring apron but then ended up taking the move himself.
Kevin Owens Attacks Kofi Kingston on Smackdown
Owens has yet to comment on his actions from last night. He did, however, post the following to his Twitter page shortly after Smackdown ended:
Xavier Woods Comments On Kevin Owens Turning On New Day
Xavier Woods ended up taking a power bomb to the ring apron last night. He does not seem to be in good spirits today. Woods posted the following to Twitter earlier today, expressing his belief that Tyler Breeze should have been chosen as the new honorary member of New Day:
Said we should have gotten @MmmGorgeous to be our honorary member so many times….
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has yet to comment on the incident. Just hours before Smackdown, Kingston was preoccupied with helping to promote the new season of Cobra Kai.
It’s the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament all over again. See you tonight, Cobras. Season 2 drops at midnight ET. #CobraKai#adhttps://t.co/PtDbA7EOj5
The dark match after 205 Live and Smackdown last night saw old rivals/friends square off once again. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have been on different trajectories since returning to WWE but their paths crossed again last night.
There wasn’t much to the match, however, as Owens hit a quick Stunner on Sami and got the pin.
Users on social media have been posting videos of Zayn vs Owens at the Smackdown after Mania.
Kevin Owens didn’t have a match at WrestleMania 35. He let his followers on social media know that this fact has been driving him crazy.
“Full disclosure,” Owens Tweeted. “Not being on Mania is gradually driving me more and more crazy as the show gets closer so my session at Axxess on Saturday should be a real blast!”
Owens was on Smackdown briefly last night. He gave Rusev a Stunner following a 6-man tag team match.
As for Zayn, he returned on the RAW after Mania this Monday. After dropping an Intercontinental title match to Finn Balor, he cut a promo critisizing WWE fans.
Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens got fans talking this week with a tweet he made on his official Twitter account. Although he just returned to television two months ago, Owens doesn’t have a match booked at the biggest event of the year for the WWE.
As a result, he noted in a recent message that not wrestling at WrestleMania is “driving him crazy.” He wrote the following:
It’s possible that he’s added to the 6th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Currently, there are 28 Superstars announced with two spots remaining.
Those stars confirmed in this match include Colin Jost and Michael Che of SNL, Braun Strowman, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Titus O’Neil, Tyler Breeze, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Viktor, Konnor, Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Otis, Tucker, EC3.
Time will tell whether this happens or Owens has the unfortunate reality of missing out on the chance to work on such a big show under the WWE banner. WWE presents the WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium that will air on the WWE Network.
For those still upset over Kevin Owens turning on his best friend, Chris Jericho, during the Festival Of Friendship, Jericho has now revealed another tidbit over the duos WrestleMania 33 payoff match: Vince McMahon hated it.
In fact, according to Jericho, Vince McMahon hated it so much he allegedly called it “one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history.”
Speaking Inside The Ropes, the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler would discuss his long association and eventual feud with Owens. He revealed that he wanted the turning point at the Festival of Friendship to feel like the Red Wedding from Game Of Thrones, shocking fans with the sudden change in tone.
“Vince Said It Was One Of The Worse Matches In WrestleMania History”
Discussing his ‘Mania match specifically, he confessed that he “thought the match was good” before adding that “I was very surprised when I saw KO after and he’s like, ‘Vince said it was one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history.”
According to Jericho, McMahon’s opinion came down to what he perceived Owens’ heel persona to be versus what he delivered that night against Chris Jericho.
“Do I think it was a great match? No. Do I think it was the worst match in WrestleMania history? Absolutely not. […] Overall it was very hard to put on a match that would live up to the hype of the match. But, y’know, it’s all about the story of getting there. Like, the match was cool but I’d rather have a great story and an okay match than an okay story and a great match.”
For those interested, the fallout of Vince McMahon’s reaction to Kevin Owens that night can actually be seen on the Network series, 365. When Owens asked if Vince was happy with the match, he would receive a one-word reply: “No.”
We noted before how WWE announced a contract signing segment
for the upcoming SmackDown episode and now they have confirmed another segment
and a match for the show.
The company has announced that the WrestleMania go home
edition of the Blue Branded Show will feature the return of the Kevin Owens
Show.
Randy Orton and his WrestleMania opponent AJ Styles will be
the guests of this talk show and this segment is expected to serve as the final
buildup for their upcoming bout.
The company has also confirmed a bout for the event, revealing that after facing Kurt Angle on Raw, Rey Mysterio will be in action for SmackDown Live as well.
Mysterio will be rekindling his rivalry with Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas and facing the former NXT Champion in a one on one match just before WrestleMania.
Rey will be looking to build momentum for his WrestleMania match against the United States Champion Samoa Joe by winning this bout.
On the other hand, the former NXT Star will try to win this bout to position himself well for the upcoming Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
As mentioned earlier both of these angles are in addition to
the announced contract signing between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan for their
WrestleMania match.
In case you missed it, this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw the return of Kevin Owens. He would be introduced by Vince McMahon, who informed Kofi Kingston that he would be replaced by Owens in the WWE Championship matchup at the upcoming Fastlane event.
Owens also happened to bring something else back that Tuesday night: the Stunner.
Not only that but an effective Stunner that ended the match after he managed to hit it on “The New” Daniel Bryan. This would give the impromptu team of Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston the victory in their tag team effort against Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan.
He would reach out to the man who pioneered the move as a finisher, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin:
“Hey @steveaustinBSR, I finally figured it out!”
Now, “The Rattlesnake” has responded to Owens bold claim.
“Highly effective. When executed properly the results are complete devastation.”
Highly effective. When executed properly the results are complete devastation. RT @briantheguppie: 1998 ??
Austin accompanied the tweet with a nice video comparison of the two Stunners. One is Owens’ from SmackDown, the other is his own from WrestleMania XIV. That particular ‘Mania finish, accompanied by a three count by “Iron” Mike Tyson, saw Austin claim the WWF Championship for the first time back in 1998.
“Stone Cold” has been critical over the use of the Stunner by other Superstars in the past. He has not only lambasted Owens for his prior attempts but was equally unimpressed when John Cena started using a springboard variation of the move.
The WWE Universe welcomed back Kevin Owens last night as he returned to SmackDown Live. “The Prizefighter” was introduced by Vince McMahon, who referred to him as “more deserving” of facing Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. Mr. McMahon’s decision would lead to Kofi Kingston losing his opportunity at the WWE Champion — something The New Day took issue with.
Despite this turn of events, however, the two Superstars would end up teaming together by the end of the night. They would face off against “The New” Daniel Bryan and his partner, Erick Rowan.
The match would end after Owens managed to hit Bryan with a Stunner, allowing him to scoop up the victory.
This isn’t the first time that KO has used the Stunner. In the past though, it has led to some pretty lukewarm feedback from the man who popularized the move: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
This time, with Owens able to end the match with the finisher, it seems things are different, as Owens tweeted out to Austin, saying: “Hey @steveaustinBSR, I finally figured it out!”
“Stone Cold” has been pretty vocal about his disdain regarding Superstars using variations of the Stunner in the past. His frustrations stemmed from the move being devalued, as it wasn’t used as a move to end the matchup. Instead, it was just another move.
When Owens used the manoeuvre in the past, Austin actually tweeted:
“Damn. I guess I gotta teach @FightOwensFight how to do a GD Stone Cold Stunner. Put some stink on it, kid. @WWE #royalrumble”
Kevin Owens returned last night during SmackDown Live. He was introduced by Vince McMahon as Kofi Kingston’s replacement for WWE’s upcoming Fastlane event as a man “more deserving” of the spot than the New Day member.
The WWE Universe made their frustration known via social media after the announcement. This vocal disappointment was shared by fellow New Day members, Xavier Woods and Big E.
Both expressed their clear exasperation with the decision via Twitter, taking umbrage with Vince McMahon’s ruling.
Xavier, whose current Twitter name is #KofiVsBryan, said:
“So what else does @TrueKofi have to do? He’s a multi-time champion. He’s given 11 amazing years to this company. He’s pinned the @wwe champion. Kofi is more than good enough. Kofi is more than worthy. What else do you want from him? WHAT ELSE?”
So what else does @TrueKofi have to do? He’s a multi-time champion. He’s given 11 amazing years to this company. He’s pinned the @wwe champion. Kofi is more than good enough. Kofi is more than worthy. What else do you want from him? WHAT ELSE?
Despite this turn of events, Owens would eventually tag with Kofi Kingston in the main event of SmackDown. The two would defeat “The New” Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan after Owens hit a Stunner for the victory.
With WrestleMania edging ever closer, are WWE saving Kofi for a high profile title win? Could he finally do it on the “Grandest Stage Of Them All”?
WWE has made a change to the likely main event of the Fastlane pay-per-view event. During Tuesday’s SmackDown Live episode, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon announced that Kevin Owens would replace Kofi Kingston in the title match against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.
The former WWE Universal Champion would then walk out and sign a contract for the match at Fastlane.
Owens has been sidelined due to him suffering a knee injury and getting surgery. Originally, the internal fear is that he could be out for 8 months, which would’ve projected his return timeframe to be anytime from February to June of 2019.
WWE presents the Fastlane pay-per-view event on March 10, 2019 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Fastlane Card
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nia Jax & Tamina
What are your thoughts on this match being changed? Was this the right move? Sound off in the comment section.
For those of you hoping Daniel Bryan will defend his WWE Title against Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35, we have some bad news. Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter reports that, as of yesterday (Tues. February 19, 2019) the plan is for Bryan to face the returning Kevin Owens in New Jersey:
This makes sense considering a previous report from Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer, who suggests Owens will be returning as a babyface. Owens has been out-of-action for the past several months due to injury. WWE has been teasing his return with selfie promos in recent weeks.
On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Shane McMahon confirmed Bryan vs. Kingston for Fastlane. The New Day member has risen tremendously in popularity as of late. He was one of the final two, along with Bryan, in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match this past weekend.
Unfortunately, Kingston came up just short of his first-ever World Title in WWE. However, he’ll get a one-on-one shot at Fastlane from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on March 10, 2019. As always, plans change frequently in WWE all the time. With that being said, perhaps there’s still hope Kingston will get his WrestleMania moment after all.
What do you think about a possible WrestleMania match between Bryan and Owens?
WWE has been promoting Kevin Owens’ return for some time now, but it appears that the former Universal Champion will be undergoing a major character change before he comes back.
During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about Owens’ recent promo on this week’s Raw and revealed that the company is planning to bring him back as a babyface.
According to Meltzer, the idea is for him to be the anti-Mr. Perfect. He is expected to be your everyday guy, who resembles the people you meet in real life.
It’s also interesting to note that while previous reports suggested that Kevin will be kept off TV until after WrestleMania, now it’s believed that he could return in time for a match at the PPV.
During his promo on Raw, Kevin Owens explained that he will be back in a month or so, which leaves the possibility of a WrestleMania feud open for the Prize Fighter
Though Owens mentioned that he is not sure which brand he will join. So it’d be interesting to see if he joins Raw or SmackDown upon his return.
Considering that the former champion has mostly been portrayed as a heel during his time on the main roster, seeing him as a babyface will also be a new experience for fans.
Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens has shared an update on when he’ll make a return to in-ring competition under the WWE banner inside of the squared circle.
This comes after WWE announced back in December that he would be returning soon. Two months later now, Owens says he is one month away from being back on television. WWE aired a video of Owens bowling while with his family and talking about how he will be back then during Monday’s RAW. The only unknown is which brand he’ll end up on – Monday Night RAW or SmackDown Live.
Owens has been sidelined due to him suffering a knee injury and getting surgery. Originally, the internal fear is that he could be out for 8 months, which would’ve projected his return timeframe to be anytime from February to June of 2019. However, he’s right on course for an earlier return than originally projected.
His last match came the following night on Monday Night RAW once he lost to Lashley, who after the match attacked him. This allowed WWE to write him off of television and storylines in order for him to get surgery. It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for him.
Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens has been sidelined with an injury for several months now. “KO” underwent knee surgery in October. Initially, it was believed that he would be out-of-action for eight months. If that remains the case, this would put Owens’ return sometime around February. But WWE began promoting Owens’ return last month during an episode of Monday Night RAW.
However, not much has been mentioned about him since. His last appearance on TV came on the RAW after WWE’s Super Show-Down in Australia. Bobby Lashley attacked Owens as a way to write him off television before his surgery. Many speculated that Owens would make his return at the Royal Rumble. However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter points out that’s unlikely.
The report suggests that WWE isn’t anticipating bringing Owens back until after WrestleMania. It was also noted that Owens is expected to be cleared “fairly soon.” It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for the former NXT Champion upon his return. Especially with his good friend Sami Zayn getting ready to get back into the ring as well.
What do you think about WWE holding off on bringing Owens back until after WrestleMania?
Its been several months since Kevin Owens has been seen on WWE TV. “KO” has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in October. Initially, Owens was given a return timeframe of around eight months. That would put his return around February. However, WWE began promoting Owens’ return as early as last month. There hasn’t been much news in regards to his return since.
The former WWE Universal Champion hasn’t been seen since the Monday Night RAW after WWE’s Super Show-Down event in Australia. He was attacked by Bobby Lashley in order to write him off the program. It will be interesting to see what WWE has planned for Owens upon his return from injury. However, when he does finally return, it looks like Owens will be sporting a new look as well.
A recent photo of Owens has been making the rounds on social media. “KO” is sitting down for a signing, but is looking a lot slimmer since the last time fans saw him. Check out the photo here below:
Perhaps Owens will be making his return at the 2019 Royal Rumble in Arizona. He’ll likely get a big pop as a surprise entrant in the 30-man Battle Royal.
What do you think about Owens’ new look ahead of his in-ring return?
Another injured WWE superstar has been confirmed by the WWE as someone who is slated to return. During Monday’s episode of RAW, the company confirmed that former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens would be returning to in-ring action soon.
Just like with Sami Zayn, WWE did not reveal the exact date that he’d be returning to competition. You can see the graphic that WWE sent out here:
Owens has been sidelined due to him suffering a knee injury and getting surgery. Originally, the internal fear is that he could be out for 8 months, which would’ve projected his return timeframe to be anytime from February to June of 2019. However, he’s right on course for an earlier return than originally projected.
Owens was last seen in action when WWE officials decided to book him wat the Super Show-Down event where he teamed with Elias in a losing effort against Bobby Lashley and John Cena.
Moving along, his last match came the following night on Monday Night RAW once he lost to Lashley, who after the match attacked him. This allowed WWE to write him off of television and storylines in order for him to get surgery. It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for him.
A timetable for the return of former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens has surfaced online. Longtime pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer was asked during the latter part of the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio when Owens could be returning to WWE. This is when Meltzer stated that he’s due to make a return to in-ring action in late February, early March.
However, with WrestleMania 35 scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium, it’s possible that they hold off his return until after the event.
The reason for Owens being out of action was due to him suffering a knee injury and getting surgery. At first, when the news originally broke, the internal fear is that he could be out for 8 months, which would project his return timeframe to be anytime from February to June of 2019. However, he’s right on course for an earlier return than originally projected.
Prior to the surgery, Owens was booked at the Super Show-Down event where he teamed with Elias in a losing effort against Bobby Lashley and John Cena. His last match came the following night on Monday Night RAW once he lost to Lashley, who after the match attacked him. This allowed WWE to write him off of television and storylines in order for him to get surgery.
Kevin Owens is not happy with Elton John at the moment. The famous singer canceled his scheduled Orlando performance last night just 30 minutes before it was to begin due to an ear infection.
Evidently, the former Universal Champion had planned to spend a “date night” with the Mrs. at the concert.
“Hey, @eltonofficial, nobody ruins my wife and I’s date night except me! You, me…WresteMania. I’ve fought men in their 70’s before, I can do it again! #KOvsElton#KOMania4”
“The last time I wore red heart-shaped glasses for another man before tonight was on January 12, 1996 at the Montreal Forum. I was 11 years old. It was for Shawn Michaels! I’m never wearing red heart-shaped glasses for another man again! @eltonofficial”
Kevin Owens’ Musical Taste
This is not the first time Owen’s concert attendance has been promoted on his social media. After leaving social media along with Sami Zayn earlier this year, Owens returned to Twitter only so he could encourage Shania Twain to sing a certain song when he attended her concert.
Owens was able to go on stage with Shania but she did not play the song “When” that he had hoped she would. He hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since an October 8th loss to Bobby Lashley on Monday Night Raw. Owens had surgery on his knees recently and at last update, his timetable for return is the first-quarter of 2019.
Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens was interviewed by Inside the Ropes to talk about a wide range of topics. During the interview, he was asked about attacking WWE Chairman Vince McMahon on the September 12, 2017 episode of Smackdown Live. “It was really surreal. And I don’t know if I will ever reach that kind of moment again.” Owens continued by stating that he has been in WWE for three years and done so much in that time. He thinks the moment with McMahon will probably be the pinnacle of it along with the Universal Title and wonder if this is as good as it gets for him. He doesn’t plan on it being that way but knows the attack on McMahon is “going to be hard to top.”
Owens also talked about feuding with Braun Strowman throughout 2018. He brought up how Strowman has been doing this for three years and had maybe five matches before he showed up at SummerSlam making his debut a couple of years ago. He thinks that he’s pretty incredible. “His progression has been unbelievable. So that’s been cool. But he’s still a 300-something pounds guy and six foot whatever he is. And whatever he does hurts.” Owens continued by stating that the feud was cool and seems like fans enjoyed it.
Kevin Owens underwent knee surgery recently and it looks like the former Universal Champion will be out of action longer than expected. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Owens isn’t expected back until February or March.
“Kevin Owens had double knee surgery,” Dave Meltzer said. “The damage in his left knee was worse than expected but they’re hopeful late February – early March return. So, that’s sort of the timetable for what it is. He didn’t have full-blown reconstructive surgery on either knee but it was serious in the left knee especially.”
Owens underwent knee surgery in 2015 and 2017 as well.
Kevin Owens Injury
The current timetable for Owens’ return is just before WrestleMania. He’ll have little time to build up a program, however. Owen’s best friend, Sami Zayn, is expected back in WWE around the same time as Owens. Zayn had surgery on both his shoulders recently and has been out of action since the summer. He spoke with Sports Illustrated regarding his injury:
“I was apprehensive [at WWE Money in the Bank], but it was still manageable,” Zayn said. “It’s just so weird how you get so used to what we do: I could go in there and wrestle main events on Live Events for 25-30 minutes, but I couldn’t really get the sheets off me in bed. It’s weird how that works. Your body just adapts. And I guess my body’s used to being in the ring and that kind of punishment.”
After being spotted at the WWE performance center last week, former Impact Knockouts Champion Chelsea Green has found her way to the latest NXT tapings as well.
Green was spotted backstage at the latest NXT tapings and below is a photo of her hanging out with MJ Jenkins, Kacy Catanzaro, and Deonna Purrazzo before yesterday night:
Though as we noted before, Chelsea’s status is still a mystery and despite the rumors and her spotting at the performance center, so far no trusted source has confirmed her reported signing with WWE.
Update On Kevin Owens’ Surgery
We noted before how Kevin Owens revealed on Twitter that he recently underwent a double knee surgery after being written off TV on Raw last week.
WWE.com provided some update on his surgery, revealing that he underwent the procedure on Tuesday. The site also says that currently there is no timetable on Owens’ return.
The last report on his comeback said that Owens is expected to stay out of action for somewhere between 4 to 8 months, meaning he may miss WrestleMania next year. We’ll keep you posted on an official timeframe for his return.
Kevin Owens underwent surgery on both his knees this week knee surgery this week. WWE.com noted on Wednesday that both of his knees were operated on. The former Universal Champion tweeted a photo on Wednesday of both his knees wrapped up and the caption, “They had a 2 for 1 sale going at the surgery store!
It’s unclear exactly when Owens was injured, but he was working through knee pain prior to WWE announcing he was hurt during his match against Bobby Lashley last week on RAW. Owens was written off television in an angle that saw Lashley turn heel by attacking his knee after the match. He was subsequently pulled from Mixed Match Challenge. Bobby Roode is now teaming with Natalya in his place.
Kevin Owens Out For The Remainder of 2018
Kevin Owens’ return timeframe will depend on the progress of his physical rehabilitation. Unfortunately, he’s out for the remainder of the year. Owens should be out of action for 4-5 months, which could see him back in the ring in the heat of WrestleMania season.
A March return would allow him to get involved in match for WM35, which takes place on April 7th, 2019 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. For now, you can be sure Kevin Owens is laser focused on getting healthy.
We noted before how WWE wrote Kevin Owens off TV with the Bobby Lashley segment on this week’s Raw due to the fact that he is dealing with a knee injury and requires a surgery.
At the time it was believed that Owens would stay out of action for a few weeks and return to WWE Programming soon. However, things have escalated very quickly.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, earlier it was believed that Owens was dealing with a minor issue, but there are people within the company who fear that his injury is more serious than first thought.
There hasn’t been an official diagnosis yet, so a concrete timetable on his return is not available. But word is that he will stay out of action from somewhere between four to eight months, depending on how his rehab goes.
This timetable means that Owens will not only be absent from the upcoming Survivor Series and Royal Rumble PPVs, but it’s possible that he will end up missing WrestleMania 35 as well.
On a positive note, this break can help Officials figure out a better plan for Kevin Owens when he returns, as many believe that his character has been directionless in recent times and it feels like the company doesn’t have a long term plan for him.
Kevin Owens requires knee surgery and will be out indefinitely. This injury was made part of storyline last night on Monday Night Raw. Owens lost to Bobby Lashley and his knee was a focal point during the match.
There is no timetable for Owens’ return at this moment. He also missed time in 2015 and again in 2017 due to requiring knee surgery. The surgery he currently requires is being described as minor, however.
Kevin Owens Babyface Turn?
Some are saying Owens was wrestling more of a babyface style against Lashley in Chicago last night. Lashley’s new hype man, Lio Rush, was irritating fans and Owens at ringside during the match, causing Owens to lose focus on Lashley and go after him. Despite having teamed with John Cena at Super Show-Down, it appears Lashley now falls on the heel side of things with Lio Rush by his side. Rush later appeared to challenge Finn Balor to a future match with his client.
Owens has won 7 titles since signing with the company. He’s a former NXT Champion, Universal Champion, 2x Intercontinental Champion, and former 3x United States Champion. Before arriving in WWE, Owens was a former ROH World Champion and 3x former PWG Champion. He was elected into the Quebec Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2017.
On Monday Night Raw, Elias made a crack about a basketball team in Seattle not making sense. The live crowd, likely still upset at the Sonics departure a decade ago, pelted Elias and Kevin Owens with boos for the remainder of the segment.
While the city is hoping to bring not only NBA basketball but also NHL hockey back to Seattle, they were not pleased with Elias’ comments. Several former Seattle Supersonic basketball players even got in on the action through social media.
Former Slam Dunk contest winner, Brent Barry, played on the Sonics from 1999-2004.
Shawn Kemp could not be reached for comment (nobody tried).
Renee Young and Detlef Schrempf
Some fans on social media felt Young’s Schrempf reference was so obscure that the line was likely fed to her. Young offered up that she used to be a sports reporter for the Score in Canada. She insinuated that she knows more about team sports than some fans seem to think she does.