WWE Superstar Kevin Owens recapped a moment between himself and Stone Cold Steve Austin from 2013, which may have aided in his being signed by the company.
Before signing with WWE in 2014, Kevin Owens was one of the most popular wrestlers on the independent circuit. As an indie star, Owens met Steve Austin at an airport in 2005, with the then 21-year-old KO looking for advice from his hero.
Speaking on the After The Bell podcast, Owens recalled when he made a pre-WWE appearance on Stone Cold's podcast and how that helped him get signed by the company the following year:
"By 2013, I'm the top indy guy, as humbly as I can say that, and I'm, like, man, I want more and I'm listening to Steve Austin's podcast every week, and at the end of every week, he says an email that people could send questions in. And I'm, like, 'you know what? I wonder if he remembers that meeting in 2005, probably not, but maybe I remind him of it, maybe he'll invite me on the podcast.' So I emalied, told him the story, thanked him. Sure enough, three days later, I'm doing the podcast with him. That was a huge deal at the time when he announced Kevin Steen's gonna be on my podcast. People came out of the woodwork, telling me this is unbelievable. At the end of that podcast, he goes, I think WWE should take a look into this kid. I got my tryout three months later, which was, things were already in motion but I'm sure him saying that certainly didn't hurt that making it happen officially." (from 35:38 to 36:38)
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Like many people of his generation, Kevin Owens grew up as a die-hard Stone Cold fan. For KO to receive the seal of approval from his idol must've made his admiration for Austin even more special.
Stone Cold Steve Austin faced Kevin Owen at WrestleMania
After weeks of mocking the WrestleMania host state of Texas, Owens invited The Rattlesnake to be his guest at The Showcase of the Immortals.
Despite rumors of him returning for a match, many expected just a verbal back and forth between Owens and Austin, possibly a stunner or two.
However, what started as a promo battle escalated into a full-on match. Stone Cold agreed to take on Kevin Owens in his first match in 19 years.
In what'll be a moment neither Austin nor Owens will ever forget, the two stars rolled back the years at WrestleMania 38, showcasing the very best moves Stone Cold Steve Austin had to offer.
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