WWE NXT Champion Kevin Owens spoke with Rolling Stone before his appearance on tonight’s RAW. The full interview can be found at this link. Below are highlights:
How has the wear and tear of several months in NXT compared so far with the rigors of indie life?
One of the big advantages of NXT for me was I get to sleep in my own bed every night almost. For years, I was on the road with the indies two, three days a week, and it got to the point where I’d wake up not sure which town I was in. Which, honestly, I kind of liked. That’s part of being a wrestler. But when I signed with WWE and moved to Orlando, my wife and my two kids came with me. That’s been great. My daughter just turned one a couple of weeks ago, so I get to be there for a lot of the landmarks I didn’t necessarily get to see with my first kid. That said, I do look forward to getting back on the road when the time is right.
When you signed on with the WWE family, was your immediate future with the company laid out for you?
I was never promised anything but an opportunity to make my time here count. I got the tryouts, and when I was offered the contract, it wasn’t like, “Oh, we can’t wait to have you. Please sign with us.” They offered me a deal, and all the fanfare and the name I’d garnered by my independent work, it obviously helped me get the tryout, but they didn’t offer me anything with a promise attached that I would ever go to the main roster or be featured on NXT even. With that said, I think I’ve done pretty good so far. [Laughs]
You’re very much yourself on social media. How do you approach having such a sense of humor on Twitter while maintaining stoicism in the ring?
I think the main difference is that when the bell rings, I live for the match and what I’m about to do, as opposed to paying attention to the crowd. But when I’m outside of the ring or on Twitter or anything, I’m just me. If there’s something funny to be said, I will say it. I’m not gonna hold back just because I have to be this serious persona now. From bell-to-bell, there’s just a different way of doing things, and I think I’ve meshed those two sides of me pretty well. It’s still a learning process obviously, but so far so good.
So as you head into Unstoppable, does this feel like an appropriate end to your and Sami’s story, or is it one that can continue at the next level?
I really think the story between us can be told at any point on any stage, but of course I’m looking forward to making moments and history with other people, whether on the main roster or at NXT. NXT is very special, and everybody who turns in for Unstoppable is gonna see that. Me and Sami bring the best out of each other, and we’re gonna do that again.
