'I’m not going to pretend we’re close, we’re not' - Kevin Owens on his backstage equation with Rey Mysterio

The Prizefighter Kevin Owens recently spoke to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. He talked about multiple topics including how he feels working with Rey Mysterio, his return to WWE last week, and why he deserves a shot at Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship.

Kevin Owens had teamed with Rey Mysterio last week and has become involved in the ongoing feud between Mysterio and Seth Rollins. On being asked how he felt working with the iconic Rey Mysterio, Owens stated that it was an honor. He revealed that even though they haven't worked together much on TV, they have faced each other numerous times on live events.

''The one thing I do remember is getting to team with Rey. The Europe tours can wear you down. The travel is lengthy, but I just remember when I saw my name next to Rey’s on the card, I was so pumped. I remember being dead tired getting to the arena, then seeing that, and being tired didn’t matter anymore.''

Kevin Owens praises Rey Mysterio

Kevin Owens then talked about his equation with Rey Mysterio. The former Universal Champion admitted that he is not close to Rey Mysterio, but has a great amount of respect for the veteran.

''Being such a fan of Rey for so long, and I’m not going to pretend we’re close, we’re not, but he’s a great guy. I’d heard good things about him for so long before I met him, and those things are obviously true. He’s the type of wrestling veteran I respect so much. There’s a lot of wrestling veterans who will look at the performers of my era and look down on them and talk down about wrestlers of my generation. Then there are other wrestlers that embrace change and have an open mind, and that’s Rey.''

Kevin Owens continued to praise Rey Mysterio and said that Mysterio never makes someone with less experience feel silly or bad. He is always ready to embrace new ideas. Owens further stated that guys like Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry, and William Regal are his role-models in a sense. He wants to be like them when he is the role of helping out newer talent.