Interesting quote from Kevin Owens’ appearance on the latest In This Corner podcast from CBS Sports:
“You know, people throw these words around so much; heel, babyfaces… shoot, kayfabe, work, all of this crap that they hear wrestlers say. I can honestly, genuinely say that I am not trying to be a heel. I don’t know if that makes me a good performer or a bad performer, I’m sure many veterans of the industry will have their opinions on what I just said, but I try to do the best performance I can, and I try and achieve the goal that I know is required of me. That always leads to people hating my guts and makes other people loving what I do. I always try to get the loudest reaction I can, whether it’s being booed out of the building or being cheered… nothing I do is in hopes of receiving either reaction.
I just want people to be loud, and I want to ellicit emotions and that’s what I always try for, so people ask me ‘how are you such a good heel?’ I don’t know the answer, I’m just being me and I just go with what I need to do to get the job done on any show that I’m on and on any particular evening what’s required of me I try to achieve that and I go from there. If people enjoy my work, that’s great, but I don’t set out with a goal in terms of getting a reaction, I just try to do what I can to do it as good as I can.”
This seems very much in line with WWE’s current presentation of guys like Roman Reigns and Enzo Amore, but not so much with past statements by KO. Just last month, he talked about using “unlikeable traits” he’s observed in people as part of his act. And this is the man who destroys best friends and once told the smart NXT crowd at Full Sail they were “the John Cena of wrestling fans because nothing genuine comes out of your mouth ever”.
I don’t have a problem with The Prizefighter taking this approach... I’m just skeptical of his saying he always takes it.
Check out the whole interview with Brian Campbell and the In This Corner team here, and let us know what you think below.