Kevin Owens Reflects On Big Name Wrestlers He Wishes He Could Have Wrestled

Kevin Owens reveals some names of Hall of Fame wrestlers he wishes he could have wrestled in their prime. He also reflects on being told he would linger in NXT forever to having a match with John Cena on RAW less than a year later.

Kevin Owens is coming off a very close match with Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Saturday Night Main Event. Owens pushed Rhodes to his limit only to lose because of referee issues. Following the match Owens took out his frustration and anger on Rhodes with a Package Piledriver.

WWE Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes — Courtesy Of WWE

Kevin Owens has proven himself to be someone who can put on a great match with anyone in WWE today. However, what about wrestlers of the past?

That is exactly the topic which came up in a recent Collider interview. Kevin Owens was asked which wrestlers of year’s past he wishes he could have shared the ring with.

“Ricky Steamboat would have been pretty great. I think me, or anybody from this era, would have a fantastic match with him. Rowdy Roddy Piper would’ve been incredible too. I wasn’t in a match with him, but he was the referee for one of my matches about 15 years ago, and just being around him for that little bit was pretty great.”

WWE Kevin Owens and Randy Orton — Courtesy Of WWE

Owens goes on to name the Hart brothers, Bret Hart and Owen Hart, as wrestlers he would have loved to wrestle. Also the British Bulldogs, Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid. He called them all fantastic and any wrestler would be lucky to be able to share the ring with them.

Unfortunately working with any of the wrestlers named above is not a possibility with the exception of maybe Steamboat. However, there are other legends still out there and may want to get back in the ring. He has already pulled one name out of retirement.

Back at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 Owens took on Stone Cold Steve Austin in a match. It was the first match Austin had wrestled in 19 years. Owens may have lost that match, but it was once in a lifetime opportunity to wrestle a childhood hero and face one of the greats of the Attitude Era.

WWE Kevin Owens, Stone Cold Steve Austin — Courtesy Of WWE

Owens came into the WWE in 2014 as a popular guy from the indies. He was told that he probably wouldn’t do much in WWE. Back in that era, the Vince McMahon era, of WWE the indie guys were hit-and-miss as far as how WWE used them.

Owens being lost in the shuffle of WWE was a very real possibility. However, luckily for WWE fans that didn’t happen. Owens reflected on his rise in WWE and his history of accomplishments.

“When I first signed with WWE, I was basically told I’d probably stay in NXT and never really see the light of day on RAW or SmackDown. And then, about eight, nine months later, I was on RAW with John Cena. From that point on, I’ve had WrestleManias, I’ve had titles, and I’ve been in the ring with my favorite wrestler of all time, Steve Austin. I’ve been able to take care of my family in a way I never fathomed.”

Owens would go on to defeat the then United States Champion John Cena in a non-title match. A win over Cena is pretty good for someone who hadn’t even been in the company for a year.

Since signing with WWE Owens has become a NXT champion, Universal champion (now part of the Undisputed WWE Championship), two-time Intercontinental champion, Tag Team champion and three-time United States champion. After the close loss at SNME and the resulting attack on Rhodes their feud seems far from over. We could see gold around Owens waist in the very near future.

What did you think of Kevin Owens’ match with Cody Rhodes at SNME? Out of the names listed, who would you have been most excited for Owens to face? Do you think Owens is exactly where he should be or is he being underutilized? Would you like to see him take Rhodes’ championship or should he win it off someone else? Let us know on social media which wrestling legend or legends you would have liked to see Owens wrestle.