Tag: Kevin Owens

New segment announced for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new segment has been announced for tonight’s Money in the Bank go-home edition of SmackDown.

Ahead of Money in the Bank, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens will address The Bloodline tonight. It comes in advance of the teams facing off in a six-man tag match on Saturday. WWE has yet to announce which three Bloodline members will be participating in the match.

The Bloodline is now being led by Solo Sikoa, who claims that Roman Reigns is never going to return. Sikoa has added Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu to The Bloodline’s ranks while kicking out Jimmy Uso.

Paul Heyman is also no longer with Sikoa’s Bloodline after last week’s angle where Heyman was beaten down after refusing to acknowledge Sikoa as the Tribal Chief.

Orton and Owens came to Rhodes’ defense when he was attacked by Sikoa, Tonga, and Loa at Clash at the Castle last month. WWE looks to be building to Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Sikoa at SummerSlam.

Scotiabank Arena in Toronto is hosting both SmackDown tonight and Money in the Bank tomorrow. Here’s the updated SmackDown lineup:

  • Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens address The Bloodline
  • WWE Tag Team Champions Grayson Waller & Austin Theory defend against Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
  • Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell

Kevin Owens says son got into the ring for first time, WWE career ‘might be an avenue’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Kevin Owens gave an update on his son’s wrestling ambitions recently.

Owens appeared on the NHL Network on Monday during coverage of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He mentioned that his son, Owen, recently stepped foot inside a wrestling ring for the first time.

“He’s 16, he’s back there. He’s six foot eight,” Owens said.

“Well, he got in the ring last week for the first time so that might be an avenue,” Owens continued.

“It was pretty awesome to see. And with WWE, obviously, I’m able to bring him to the best possible places for training so, yeah, it’s great to see him have the interest, at least, give it a shot and see what happens.”

Owens’ match for Money in the Bank in Toronto was revealed on Raw last night. He’ll team with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes against three members of The Bloodline. Owens also told the NHL Network that he’s rented a private suite for his family to attend the show.

“I actually got an email from the Scotiabank Arena about, ‘Hey, you know that suite you’re buying for your whole family? It’s time to pay for it.’ Yeah, it’s not cheap,” he said.

Kevin Owens has nine months left on WWE contract

Posted on by Ian Carey

Kevin Owens revealed when his WWE contract expires during a recent interview with Metro UK. 

Owens signed a three-year deal with WWE in late 2021 and has been with the company since 2014. He told Metro that he’s not sure what comes next once his deal is up in nine months. 

Owens said:

I really don’t take anything for granted, I (have) nine months left on my (contract), and I don’t know what can happen from here on out.

Our own Dave Meltzer reported that Owens’ current deal is in the $2-3 million per year range. 

Owens continued:

This has been my home for 10 years and it’s beyond the locker room.

There’s some very, very, very special people that work behind the scenes that I’ve become very close with, and I really can’t imagine not seeing them as part of my life.

It’s good to have somebody to bounce around, somebody you trust. When I got here, I got really close with Finn Balor right away, and I could tell this is gonna be a guy I could trust, and now he’s like a brother to me.

We might not be together all the time, me and Sami are on different brands so we don’t see each other as much. We’re always in contact and when it comes along, we have a sounding board.

I’m very lucky to be living what I’m living. It’s easy to forget it when it’s something you do a lot, it kind of becomes the usual everyday thing and you forget how special it is.

Owens offered similar thoughts in a July 2023 interview with The Toronto Sun. He told the outlet that while he wants to be involved with WWE in some capacity when his current deal ends, he’s not sure how much time left there is on his in-ring career. 

“I know I want to be involved in wrestling. I know I want to be involved in the WWE and I know I have a place here. I just don’t know where it is exactly,” Owens said. “Maybe it’s still in the ring, maybe it’s not. I don’t know.”

Owens is currently involved in a program with The Bloodline on SmackDown. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa defeated him and Randy Orton on Saturday at Backlash following interference from a debuting Tanga Loa. Owens and Sami Zayn’s rivalry with The Bloodline was voted “Feud of the Year’ in the 2023 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards. 

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Tama Tonga bloodies Kevin Owens

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The new-look Bloodline continued to wreak havoc on SmackDown last night.

One week after making his WWE debut by attacking Jimmy Uso, Tama Tonga found a new target on last night’s show. Tonga left Kevin Owens bloody, getting revenge after Owens disrespected The Bloodline last week. Solo Sikoa looks to have made himself the new Tribal Chief and has started calling the shots with Roman Reigns not around.

Sikoa arrived at SmackDown wearing a suit and wanted to know where Owens was. Paul Heyman didn’t know, but Tonga was able to locate him.

While Sikoa and Heyman were in the ring, Tonga emerged from the back with an already bloody Owens. Owens tried to bring the fight to Tonga and Sikoa but was beaten down even more. Officials and SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis had to stop Tonga and Sikoa from using a steel chair in the attack.

It was revealed that Tonga started his assault by crashing into Owens’ rental car in the parking lot. Aldis showed Heyman the wreckage and warned him that there will be consequences if this type of behavior continues during the WWE Draft next week.

Heyman informed Aldis that Tonga and Sikoa’s attack on Owens was not authorized.

Earlier in the show, Heyman told Sikoa that he’s making decisions that aren’t his to be made yet. Heyman said these decisions can only be made by Reigns. Sikoa didn’t listen to what Heyman was saying.

Sikoa is calling Tonga his “MFT,” though the meaning of that hasn’t been made known to the audience.

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight (winner challenges Cody Rhodes at Backlash)

Solo Sikoa wants to know where Kevin Owens is

Triple H unveils new WWE Tag Team title belts

Fatal four-way tag team number one contender’s match

Tama Tonga bloodies Kevin Owens

Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the attack on Dragon Lee

Nick Aldis has a warning for Paul Heyman

Carlito vs. Santos Escobar

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair confront Damage CTRL

Cody Rhodes addresses AJ Styles becoming number one contender

Bayley vs. Naomi for the WWE Women’s Championship

Tiffany Stratton disrupts Bayley and Naomi’s title match

SmackDown fallout: Damage CTRL react to Stratton’s beatdown of Bayley & Naiomi

SmackDown fallout: Waller & Theory plan on being champions forever

SmackDown fallout: Karrion Kross says everything will change with the WWE Draft

Two matches with title implications announced for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has revealed how Cody Rhodes’ first title challenger will be decided.

On SmackDown tonight, two triple threat matches will take place. The winners advance to face each other on SmackDown next Friday (April 19). The winner of that match becomes the number one contender to Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Santos Escobar vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight and Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens are tonight’s triple threat bouts.

WWE didn’t state when the winner will be getting their title shot, but the company’s next premium live event is Backlash in Lyon, France on Saturday, May 4. Rhodes is featured on the poster for that show.

Tonight’s SmackDown will include an appearance by Rhodes. At WrestleMania 40, he dethroned Roman Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Reigns had been a champion for 1,316 days before being defeated by Rhodes.

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit is hosting SmackDown tonight. Here’s what’s been announced for the episode:

  • New Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes appears
  • New WWE Women’s Champion Bayley appears
  • Triple threat match: Santos Escobar vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight
  • Triple threat match: Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens

Tag team match added to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Randy Orton & Kevin Owens are joining forces on SmackDown tonight.

A tag team match with Orton & Owens facing Grayson Waller & Austin Theory has been made official for tonight’s SmackDown. The show is taking place from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

In the main event of SmackDown last week, Orton defeated Theory in a singles match. Owens then came to Orton’s defense when Waller attacked him after the match. Owens dropped Theory with a stunner and Orton laid out Waller with an RKO.

United States Champion Logan Paul, a rival of Orton and Owens, is set to appear on SmackDown tonight. Paul is aligned with Waller and Theory.

The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins will all be on tonight’s SmackDown as well. The updated lineup for the episode is listed below:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, March 8) —

  • Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins respond to The Rock & Roman Reigns’ challenge for a tag team match at WrestleMania 40 night one
  • Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross
  • Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
  • Logan Paul appears

Kevin Owens on Vince McMahon allegations: ‘It’s shameful and can’t ever happen again’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Several members of the WWE roster have commented on the allegations against Vince McMahon recently. 

Ahead of Saturday’s Elimination Chamber, Kevin Owens spoke with the Daily Mail about the former executive chairman of WWE. 

“Everything that has come out is awful. Just terrible,” Owens said. “There’s really no words to describe how sad this makes me feel.”

“If the people spoke out went through what they went through, that’s terrible. It’s shameful and it can’t ever happen again. That’s what it comes down to.”

Becky Lynch referred to the allegations as “hard to reconcile” in the same article. 

“I have been fortunate in my career that I have always felt supported by the company,’ she said.

“These allegations are horrible and it’s hard to reconcile as a talent and as a woman. But, my experience in WWE has only ever been amazing.”

“Yes, in the beginning, there was some restrictions on some things; we couldn’t punch, grabbing hair – there was some weird stuff there – but I was able to push us forward, push women forward and I’m very grateful for that. So this company… [right now] some of these things are hard to reconcile.”

Randy Orton also addressed the allegations against McMahon in a recent interview with The New York Post. 

“I’ve seen the horrible things online that I don’t want to believe because this man has done so many things for me,” he said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been given second and third chances [in WWE]. I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in now if it wasn’t for that man.”

“So part of me wants to not believe it and then the other part of me understands that he could have done all these wonderful things for me and the business and created this amazing thing that will go on and on well after he’s gone, but on the other hand he’s human and he made some f–king terrible mistakes.”

Orton also said the situation “hurts his heart” during an interview with Sports Illustrated. 

John Cena was asked about the allegations against McMahon during a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

“There’s the saying of ‘you don’t know who your friends are until the s**t hits the fan’ or your back’s against the wall. That doesn’t make any of what’s going on any easier to swallow but just telling somebody like, ‘Hey, I love you. Man, this is going to be a hill to climb. We’re going to see what happens and that’s that,” Cena said.

“It sounds so cliche but it has to be one day at a time. But at the same token, I’ve openly said I love the guy, I have a great relationship with the guy, so that’s that.”

WWE Elimination Chamber update: Men’s lineup set, one spot left in women’s match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

– We now know the full lineup for this year’s men’s Elimination Chamber match.

Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul will face off in the men’s Elimination Chamber match in Perth, Australia on Saturday, February 24. The winner earns a title shot against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40.

Owens and Paul were the last two wrestlers to qualify, defeating Dominik Mysterio and The Miz in their respective matches on SmackDown tonight.

– Tiffany Stratton and Naomi also qualified for Elimination Chamber tonight. Stratton defeated Zelina Vega in her qualifying match, while Naomi won a qualifier against Alba Fyre.

Naomi was originally supposed to face Shotzi in the qualifier, but Shotzi had to be pulled after suffering a knee injury during an NXT taping earlier this week.

Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stratton, and Naomi have qualified for the women’s Elimination Chamber match. There’s only one spot remaining. A last-chance battle royal on Raw this coming Monday is set to determine the final participant.

The women’s Chamber winner will challenge for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40. Rhea Ripley, who currently holds the title, is defending against Nia Jax at Elimination Chamber.

Elimination Chamber takes place from Optus Stadium in Perth on February 24 and will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at 5 a.m. Eastern time.

Here’s the updated card for the event:

  • Elimination Chamber match to determine World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania 40 challenger (Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul)
  • Elimination Chamber match to determine Women’s World Championship challenger for WrestleMania 40 (Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. one wrestler to be determined)
  • Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Nia Jax
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) defend against Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate
  • The Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins

Wrestling Observer Live: CM Punk and Kevin Owens injuries, RAW notes, AEW business, NXT preview

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Raw highlights from Monday, CM Punk and Kevin Owens injuries, AEW ratings and ticket sales, how they should replace Punk for WrestleMania, NXT preview for tonight and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Wrestling Observer Radio: McMahon lawsuit, media reaction, CM Punk and Kevin Owens injuries, RAW

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including more on Vince McMahon and what the media has said about the situation the past few days, CM Punk and Kevin Owens injury updates, how long Punk will likely be gone, WrestleMania, ratings, the RAW report, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: More on Vince McMahon allegations & media coverage

14:44: CM Punk out of WrestleMania 40, Kevin Owens injury update

21:04: This week’s shows

26:20: Voices of Wrestling’s top 10 matches of 2023

30:20: Ratings

34:21: WWE Raw report, Pat McAfee on Raw commentary team

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VIDEO: Logan Paul & Kevin Owens brawl in pre-WWE Royal Rumble angle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With the Royal Rumble just two days away, WWE shot an angle on Thursday building up Logan Paul and Kevin Owens’ United States Championship match.

Paul and Owens got into a confrontation while Paul was working out at the WWE Performance Center and streaming live on Instagram. The angle included Paul throwing a bottle at Owens as he was walking away. The two brawled until being separated by coaches and other wrestlers.

Owens is challenging Paul for the United States title at the Royal Rumble this Saturday (January 27). Owens earned the title shot by winning a number one contender’s tournament. He defeated Austin Theory in the first round, Carmelo Hayes in the semifinals, and Santos Escobar in the finals.

The history between Owens and Paul dates back to when Paul first arrived in WWE. Owens laid out Paul with a stunner at WrestleMania 37 in 2021.

Since last month, Owens has had a cast on his arm due to a kayfabe broken hand injury. The cast has been part of the story for Paul vs. Owens at the Royal Rumble. After being mocked by Paul on SmackDown three weeks ago, Owens knocked out Paul with a shot from the cast. Paul threatened to sue Owens if he wears the cast in their match.

There was then a KO Show segment with Owens and Paul on last Friday’s SmackDown. Owens  said he won’t need the cast to defeat Paul. After Owens took the cast off, Paul attacked Owens and targeted his hand.

Paul stated in his Instagram video today that WWE has renewed his contract. Paul signed a new multi-year deal with WWE in April 2023.

Kevin Owens to challenge Logan Paul for US title at WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kevin Owens is first in line for a shot at Logan Paul’s United States title.

Paul will defend his United States Championship against Owens at the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 27. Owens secured the title shot by winning WWE’s US title number one contender’s tournament.

On SmackDown tonight, Owens defeated Santos Escobar in the tournament finals. Owens defeated Austin Theory in the first round of the tournament and Carmelo Hayes in the semifinals.

Paul was on commentary for the Owens vs. Escobar match. When it ended, he cut a promo making fun of Owens. That resulted in Owens laying Paul out with a punch from his right hand that has a cast on it.

In storyline, Owens has a broken hand after it was targeted by Theory and Grayson Waller last month.

The history between Owens and Paul dates back to when Paul first debuted for WWE in 2021. Owens gave Paul a stunner at WrestleMania 37 that year.

Paul won the United States title from Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel last November. This will be his first title defense.

The Royal Rumble is being held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The following matches have been confirmed for the show so far:

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match
  • United States Champion Logan Paul defends against Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens, Grayson Waller, Carlito appear at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Three main roster WWE stars appeared at NXT New Year’s Evil.

Carlito, Grayson Waller, and Kevin Owens all made appearances on Tuesday’s show. Waller headlined the event, taking on Trick Williams after it was announced Ilja Dragunov was not cleared to compete. Towards the end of the match Carmelo Hayes came out to ringside and distracted Williams, despite Williams telling him earlier in the show he wanted to win by himself. Williams went on to defeat Waller after Kevin Owens, who has been feuding with Waller on SmackDown, appeared at ringside allowing Williams to capitalize on the distraction with a running knee for the win.

Earlier in the show, Dragunov was announced as not being able to compete on the show following a storyline injury that took place two weeks ago. Despite Dragunov saying on last week’s show he was good to go, Kelly Kincaid announced that WWE’s medical team would not clear Dragunov for Tuesday’s show. After a confrontation with Waller backstage, Williams agreed to put up his title match in the main event against Waller.

Carlito also appeared as the surprise third participant in the LWO vs. No Quarter Catch Crew six-man tag team match, with Cruz Del Toro getting the win for his team. Dragon Lee was originally set to team with the LWO, but announced on Monday he would be unable to be at New Year’s Evil due to visa issues.

WWE announces Kevin Owens storyline update

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Following his match against Grayson Waller on SmackDown, WWE has announced a storyline update on Kevin Owens.

WWE made an announcement today claiming that Owens “sustained an injury” on SmackDown, “fracturing his 4th and 5th metacarpal.” The hand injury was part of the story for Owens and Waller’s match last night.

There was a spot during Owens vs. Waller where Austin Theory interfered and stomped Owens’ right hand against the ring steps. Waller then targeted Owens’ hand during the remainder of the match. On commentary, it was speculated that Owens’ hand was broken.

The finish of the match was Owens rolling up Waller to get the win after moving his hand out of the way when Waller went to kick it.

After SmackDown, WWE uploaded a video where Owens was on his way to get his hand X-rayed.

It was announced last night that Owens will be one of the participants in an eight-man tournament to determine a number one contender for Logan Paul’s United States Championship. Owens, Waller, Theory, Santos Escobar, Bobby Lashley, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, and a mystery entrant from NXT were announced as the tournament participants.

The tournament kicks off on SmackDown next Friday with Lashley vs. Kross and Escobar vs. Dragon Lee.

Logan Paul was on commentary for Owens vs. Waller last night and mocked Owens throughout. Before the match, Owens had interrupted a promo Paul was cutting.