Kevin Owens will be in action as he goes one-on-one with Grayson Waller tonight. Last Friday, Owens teamed up with LA Knight to defeat Waller & Austin Theory in a tag match.
There was an angle three weeks ago where Waller and Theory provoked Owens into attacking them. Owens, who was doing commentary that night, wasn’t allowed to put his hands on anyone. Because he attacked Waller and Theory, Owens was suspended in storyline.
Waller and Theory attempted to mock Owens last week by having Theory dress up as Owens and appear as a guest on The Grayson Waller Effect. But Owens showed up and revealed that he was no longer suspended. The segment led to Owens & Knight defeating Waller & Theory.
SmackDown is taking place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York tonight. The updated lineup for the episode is listed below:
In a new interview, Kevin Owens commented on CM Punk returning to WWE.
Owens spoke with sports journalist James Williams to promote next month’s WWE holiday tour house show in Los Angeles. During the interview, Owens was asked about Punk’s WWE return and what it means for the pro wrestling business.
“I just want to have fun at work,” Owens responded. “So if he’s got that mindset, great.”
Punk made his surprise return to WWE at Survivor Series last weekend. On Raw this Monday night, Punk cut his first WWE promo in nearly a decade.
Survivor Series also saw Randy Orton make his WWE return. Orton had been away from the ring since May 2022. Orton underwent double fusion surgery last year for a career-threatening back injury.
In his interview with James Williams, Owens said he’s so happy to have Orton back:
I love Randy. I’m so happy he’s back. And he’s much needed. To me, having him around in the locker room is an absolute positive. You know, there’s just some people, besides the fact that he’s a fantastic performer and he’s a legend, there’s some people that are just good to have around. He’s good to have around. He’s good for the morale. And he brings a sense of, you know — there are people now which is what I love about our locker room currently, there are people that are leaders without saying ‘I’m a leader.’ They don’t need to be. They just are. Randy’s one of them. So when he’s around, everybody just steps up their game just because Randy Orton’s here. And I love that.
Owens is currently feuding with Austin Theory and Grayson Waller on SmackDown. Owens teamed up with LA Knight to defeat Theory & Waller in a tag team match last Friday.
Date: November 13, 2023 Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, DC
Show Recap —
Cody Rhodes entered (wearing a suit) to start the show as the announcers ran down tonight’s card. Rhodes said he had a lot of wonderful memories in this arena and would give the fans another when he and Jey Uso won the tag team championships tonight. The crowd chanted for Cody.
Rhodes introduced his teammates for War Games. Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins all entered separately. (Wade Barrett noted how loudly the crowd reacted to each of their entrances and, of course, they sang Rollins’ song.) Rhodes said they were all there because of Judgment Day. Rhodes looked at each man and there was obviously tension between him and Rollins.
Judgment Day interrupted (minus Rhea Ripley). Finn Bálor and Damian Priest said the men in the ring weren’t a real team, while Judgment Day were a family. Priest said they’d finally be done with them after Survivor Series.
Bálor asked Rollins what it felt like being the champion but standing with Rhodes — a man he could never beat. Priest asked Rhodes what it felt like knowing he could beat all of his teammates but the one thing he can’t be is champion. Bálor told Zayn that everyone knew he was just a loser. Priest asked if they thought they could trust Jey Uso after he screwed all of them.
Dominik Mysterio tried to chime in but the crowd booed over him. Zayn said nobody wanted to hear from him. Zayn said they would put their histories aside to take down Judgment Day. Zayn warned Judgment Day that they didn’t know what they were in for and said it would be the most brutal match of their lives. When it was over, the power would lie with the men in the ring.
Rhodes was surprised that Judgment Day found their way to the ring without Rhea Ripley. Rhodes egged them on about not having a leader and Priest interrupted him to proclaim himself as the leader. The crowd buzzed and Bálor gave him a look.
Rollins was sick of the talking and wanted a match with Zayn as his partner. Priest accepted on behalf of Dom and JD McDonagh.
********
Sami Zayn & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defeated JD McDonagh & NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio via disqualification (10:34)
Dom did the three amigos and Michael Cole referenced Eddie Guerrero and said he was thinking of Eddie today. (Today is the anniversary of Guerrero’s death.)
Zayn and Rollins hit stereo dives ahead of a break but Cole let us know that Judgment Day took over during the break. Rollins made a hot tag and was all over Dom. McDonagh tried to interfere so Zayn took him out. Dom went for a 619 but Rollins hit him off with a superkick and buckle bomb.
Rollins set up for the curb stomp but Priest and Bálor interfered for the DQ. Priest and Bálor attacked as Ripley directed traffic. Jey and Rhodes ran out to make the save. Everyone brawled as officials and a dozen security guards ran down to separate them. Jey went to spear Priest but McDonagh took the bullet.
— Adam Pearce grabbed a mic and was pissed that another match was ruined. Pearce announced that everyone not involved in the tag title match was banned from the arena. Ripley argued with him as they went to break.
********
After a commercial break, they were somehow still arguing. Ripley said Raw needed Judgment Day. Pearce said, “Frankly my dear, I do not give a damn.” (Cole chuckled and referenced Clark Gable.) Pearce said he ran Raw, not Judgment Day. Pearce was about to announce that Ripley was banned too but Zoey Stark interrupted.
Stark said Ripley wasn’t as dumb as she looked and said she must know why she was out there. Ripley wanted to hear this so Pearce let it continue. Stark said Ripley had too much on her plate: War Games, the tag titles, Dom and her own title. Stark warned Ripley about overlooking her.
Ripley said she wasn’t overlooking her. Ripley has been following her since NXT and knew they would end up in the ring together. Ripley said Stark sent Trish Stratus packing and she beat Becky Lynch. Ripley said Stark reminded her of herself but the only way she would win a title is if she was on another brand.
The crowd was quiet for this until they sang along when Ripely said, “Mami is always on top.” Ripley said she was not spreading herself too thin. She could handle it all because she was Rhea bloody Ripley. She told Stark to leave.
Stark said she would win the title at Survivor Series. Ripley tried to attack but Stark ducked and dumped her from the ring. Stark teased a dive but Ripley backed away.
(The crowd liked Ripley so they weren’t into Stark at all.)
********
There was a Shinsuke Nakamura promo video. His promo was directed at someone specific but he didn’t mention who. Cole wondered who it could be. Nakamura started with: “You are blessed with so much privilege so I am taking away your choice. The opportunity is mine now.” He ended the promo with: “I will wait for now because I know it all ends by my hands.”
********
Zayn and Rollins spoke in the back when they were approached by Rhodes. Rhodes asked Zayn if he could speak to Rollins. Zayn let them be.
Rhodes told Rollins that they could hate each other 364 days of the year but at War Games, he needed Rollins and the team needed Rollins. Rollins said he didn’t like Rhodes and probably never would but he did respect him. Rollins promised Rhodes that they’d be all good at Survivor Series. Rollins patted him on the back and told him to win the tag titles. Rhodes was content.
Otis ran over Nakamura outside the ring ahead of a break.
[SECOND HOUR]
Otis continued on offence following the break, hitting a powerbomb, back elbows, a clothesline and Caterpillar elbow drop for two. (The referee checked on Nakamura after the powerbomb.) Nakamura responded with an enziguri but Otis countered a Kinshasa into a World’s Strongest Slam for a nearfall.
Nakamura hit a diving knee strike off the top but Otis didn’t go down. Nakamura kicked his leg out of his leg and hit a Kinshasa to the back of the head. Otis still didn’t go all the way down so Nakamura hit him with another Kinshasa, this time to the face, for the pinfall win.
The crowd liked Otis and was into the nearfalls.
— Nakamura shoved Gable as he checked on Otis. Gable wanted to go after him but Tozawa and Dupri held him back. Nakamura taunted Gable as he backed away.
********
There was a War Games video package and they explained the match rules.
Drew McIntyre approached Rollins in the back. McIntyre said Rollins was right. He lost at Crown Jewel and he had no one to blame but himself. Maybe it’ll be the best thing that could have happened to him.
McIntyre said he’s been wanting to give Rollins something since last week. Rollins got his guard up but McIntyre offered a handshake. Rollins shook his hand. McIntyre congratulated him and told him to represent the title. He planned on working his ass off and getting a rematch. Rollins was sure of it.
(They left the camera on Rollins long enough to show him gingerly walking away. It was long enough to make you think McIntyre might attack, but he didn’t.)
********
There was a Tegan Nox video package.
Tegan Nox (w/Natalya) defeated Tag Team Champion Piper Niven (w/Chelsea Green) (4:48)
Natalya did her best to get the crowd behind Nox but they didn’t bite. Nox started to get some offence until Green jumped on the apron right in front of the ref. The distraction allowed Niven to knock down Nox. Natalya decked Green so Niven decked Natalya. That allowed Nox to hit NIven with the Shiniest Wizard but Niven got her leg on the rope. Niven tried to sit down on Nox but Nox moved and applied a crucifix pin for the win.
********
Jackie Redmond interviewed The Miz. Redmond asked what was driving Miz and he responded, “A bus. Took me a long time, but I finally got myself a bus.” Miz knew she meant the match against Gunther and talked about the Intercontinental title. Miz then mocked Gunther by doing an impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Ivar interrupted and called him a clown. Bronson Reed interrupted and got into an argument with Ivar. Miz backed away without them noticing. Ivar took a swipe at Reed who was about to go after him but Valhalla stepped between them.
********
Ludwig Kaiser (w/Giovanni Vinci) defeated Tommaso Ciampa (w/Johnny Gargano) (9:59)
Cole and Barrett got into a discussion about the Louvre after Barrett called Kaiser a work of art. Cole eagerly told him that the Louvre wasn’t all that impressive. (It’s possible he meant the Mona Lisa, not the museum itself, but that’s what he said.)
Vinci tripped Ciampa as he came off the ropes. The ref wasn’t totally sure he did something but Gargano let him know what happened so he tossed Vinci from ringside.
They had a back-and-forth match and Ciampa seemed to be setting up for Fairy Tale Ending but Vinci suddenly reappeared through the crowd and he booted Gargano at ringside. Ciampa was distracted by this so Kaiser rolled him up while holding the tights for the pinfall win. (The ref saw that Vinci was back but still counted the pin anyway.)
********
Judgment Day had a meeting backstage. Ripley and Dom made a remark about Priest calling himself their leader. Priest tried to downplay it and said he was just hot in the moment. Ripley did think that Priest should be the one in charge at Survivor Series as long as the rest of Judgment Day were okay with it. Dom and Bálor were on board.
Bálor said they had something else to take care of too. Ripley grabbed a duffle bag and said it was time to make McDonagh an official member of Judgment Day. Priest wasn’t ready for this but Ripley said JD was in medical right now after taking another bullet for Priest. Bálor said it was time. Priest took the duffle bag and said he would take care of it himself.
********
Xi Li defeated Indi Hartwell (w/Candice LeRae) via ref stoppage (2:33)
Li hit a roundhouse kick (the same one that knocked out LeRae) and Hartwell collapsed — despite the fact that the kick hit her in the shoulder. The ref checked on Hartwell and some fans booed because they could tell how phony this was. The ref quickly determined that Hartwell couldn’t continue and they announced Li as the winner.
— Becky Lynch entered and said she was looking for a fight. She tried to hit Li with the Man-handle Slam but Li escaped. Lynch said Li only had seven more days to run because they had a singles match next week on Raw.
********
Gunther approached Miz in the back and congratulated “Mike” on the surprise win last week. It wasn’t a decisive win but Miz was now the rightful challenger.
Miz fired up and told Gunther to watch his match tonight because he didn’t know who he was dealing with. Miz said he would do whatever it took to win and do what others would not. He’s been doing it for 20 years and that’s why he was an 8-time champion. Miz would show him the difference between the longest-reigning champion and the greatest champion of all time.
Gunther said he knew exactly who he was dealing with. Gunther warned him that he would get the beating of a lifetime at Survivor Series.
********
[THIRD HOUR]
Stark spoke with Shayna Baszler backstage. Baszler thought she could just as easily be champion right now, or at least be in Stark’s position, but also admitted Stark was on a roll and looked forward to seeing her beat Ripley. Stark was happy to hear it.
Raquel Rodriguez approached them. She wasn’t thrilled that they eliminated her last week but wished her luck against Ripley.
Nia Jax appeared next and mocked them for handing out well wishes. Jax said they teamed up to eliminate her but none of them could beat her one-on-one. Rodriguez got in her face and asked her why she wasn’t the champion if she was so tough. Rodriguez knew she could beat her if given the opportunity. Jax left.
********
The Miz defeated Ivar (w/Valhalla) (11:12)
Miz “showed off” with some flashy offence but Ivar cut him off with a spinning powerslam. Ivar became distracted as Bronson Reed marched out so Miz hit him with a bulldog off the ropes. (Cole called it a tornado DDT. Miz did a tornado DDT earlier in the match.) Miz charged at Ivar but Ivar sat down on him. Reed sat down on a steel chair to watch the match at ringside.
After a break, Ivar hit a backbreaker and sitout powerbomb for two. Miz hit a DDT for two and followed with It Kicks and the crowd actually chanted “Yes” as he did them. Ivar distracted the ref as Valhalla gave Miz a cheap shot. Ivar hit with a roundhouse kick for two. Ivar followed with a World’s Strongest Slam off the middle rope for a nearfall.
Ivar set up for a moonsault but became distracted again by Reed who wasn’t doing anything. Miz slipped underneath and stacked him up for a cover with his feet on the ropes for the pinfall win.
— After the match, Reed ran over Ivar and hit a Tsunami.
********
Priest approached McDonagh backstage. Priest admitted he still gets annoyed by McDonagh but also knew that he took one for the team. McDonagh was someone he could stand with and welcomed him to Judgment Day. Priest gave him a new jacket. They shook hands and McDonagh thanked him. Priest said he earned it.
Bálor showed up and was thrilled to see it. Bálor said they’d have to cut the celebration short because McDonagh had to leave before their match started or else Pearce would go nuts. Bálor turned to Priest and said they would show everyone why they were the champs.
********
Gunther met with Vinci and Kaiser. He said, “Good job tonight” and Kaiser arrogantly boasted about the win. Gunther said he wasn’t talking to him. Gunther was happy with Vinci’s effort and Kaiser won thanks to him. (Vinci was very happy to be back in Gunther’s good books.) Gunther shot Kaiser a look before leaving.
Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher approached Kaiser. Mahal told him to choose his next move wisely.
********
Gable told Otis not to worry about the loss and that he would take care of Nakamura next week. The Creed Brothers suggested they needed new training partners. Gable told them, “No thank you” because they wouldn’t abandon the Gable method. Brutus said they were undefeated and maybe they would go after the tag titles. That brought in the New Day and they all talked over each other.
Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri had a friendly exchange and they walked off together. Tozawa held up a Washington Commanders title belt and said he wanted to be tag team champion and did his little dance.
********
Finn Bálor & Damian Priest defeated Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso to retain the Undisputed Tag Team Championships (22:39)
Drew McIntyre turned.
Rhodes and Jey were mounting offence after a break but Bálor raked Rhodes’ eyes as Priest distracted the ref and Judgment Day took over. Jey eventually made the hot tag and the crowd yelled “Yeet” with each strike he hit. Bálor made a blind tag and knocked down Jey with a clothesline outside the ring. Bálor chucked Jey over the announce table and they went to a second break.
Rhodes made a hot tag after the break and hit Bálor with a powerslam and Disaster Kick. Rhodes jabbed Priest and hit a bionic elbow. Rhodes superkicked Bálor but Bálor blocked a Cody Cutter. Rhodes set up for Cross Rhodes but Bálor blocked that too and tagged Priest.
Jey tagged in and hit Priest with a flying crossbody for two. Jey superkicked Priest and Bálor and hit Priest with an Uso Splash for two. Jey avoided a chokeslam and superkicked Priest (who was not the legal man). Rhodes hit Priest with a Cross Rhodes.
Jey speared Bálor (who was the legal man) and they hit their 1D/Cody Cutter combo but Priest broke up the cover. Rhodes hit Priest with a suicide dive but Priest shoved him into the ring post and a piece of the post’s covering broke off. Priest chokeslammed Rhodes onto the apron. Jey wiped out both opponents with a flip dive and chucked Bálor back into the ring.
Drew McIntyre suddenly appeared at ringside and laid out Jey with a Claymore Kick.
Bálor covered Jey in the ring for the pinfall win. Judgment Day retains.
— As McIntyre stood on the stage, Rhea Ripley appeared. They shook hands.
Following his actions on Friday’s SmackDown, General Manager Nick Aldis told Kevin Owens that he was suspended from WWE after attacking both Grayson Waller and Austin Theory on Friday’s show.
Owens did color commentary for most of Friday’s show, replacing Corey Graves. Aldis had given Owens permission to do color commentary under the condition that he didn’t get physically involved. After Waller lost to LA Knight to, Owens repeatedly mocked Waller and later added Theory as well, repeatedly showing footage of himself attacking both men. Waller and Theory confronted Owens, pouring water over his head then throwing the bottle at announcer Kevin Patrick. Owens responded by attacking the two as they were leaving, giving Waller a stunner. Announcers pushed hard on commentary that Owens could be suspended as a result of the attack.
Last month, it was revealed that as part of Jey Uso going to Raw, Kevin Owens was traded to SmackDown. In the weeks since, Owens has been feuding with both Waller and Theory, who have formed an association with one another.
With Corey Graves away, Kevin Owens will be filling in on WWE SmackDown commentary tonight.
WWE has announced that Owens will be calling tonight’s show alongside Michael Cole and Kevin Patrick. The company posted a video where SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis agreed to let Owens fill in for Graves tonight. But Aldis said that, if Owens puts his hands on anyone, he’ll be suspended.
Graves (Matthew Polinsky) and Carmella (Leah Van Dale) welcomed their son Dimitri Paul Polinsky into the world this Wednesday. Carmella was in labor for 60 hours before the baby was born.
This is Graves and Carmella’s first child together. Carmella is also a stepmother to Graves’ three children from a previous marriage.
Backstage interviewer Kayla Braxton also won’t be on SmackDown tonight. Braxton noted that she’s under the weather and has no voice.
“Little under the weather today and have zero voice, so I won’t be at SD tonight,” Braxton wrote. “Only way I would be able to interview anyone is if I mimed… which would actually be pretty entertaining. Anyway, I’m on the mend and I’ll be back next week! Happy Friday everyone!”
Owens moved to the SmackDown roster this October as trade compensation for Jey Uso going to Raw. On last Friday’s SmackDown, Owens defeated Austin Theory.
Tonight is the first SmackDown since Crown Jewel. The episode is taking place from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Two matches and one segment have been announced for the show:
A Donnybrook Rules match, plus Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory have been added to this week’s WWE SmackDown lineup.
As announced on WWE.com on Thursday, Ridge Holland & Butch of The Brawling Brutes will take on Pretty Deadly’s Kit Wilson & Elton Prince in a Donnybrook Rules bout on the Friday, November 3 SmackDown. WWE.com describes a Donnybrook Rules match as “a free-for-all melee with lots of weapons at their disposal.”
Also added to Friday’s card, Kevin Owens will go one-on-one with Austin Theory. The match will follow up on an angle from last week’s episode where Owens attacked Theory backstage.
Already announced for SmackDown are a United States Championship weigh-in ahead of Saturday’s Crown Jewel show, with US Champion Rey Mysterio and challenger Logan Paul, plus Bianca Belair vs. Damage CTRL’s Bayley.
The Friday, November 3 SmackDown was taped last week. Spoilers for the show are available here.
The announced lineup for Friday’s episode:
United States Championship weigh-in with Rey Mysterio & Logan Paul
Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
Donnybrook Rules match: Ridge Holland & Butch vs. Kit Wilson & Elton Prince
Kevin Owens is the newest member of the SmackDown roster.
It was revealed on Friday’s SmackDown that Owens was the person traded to SmackDown when Jey Uso was traded to Raw back in September. Nick Aldis, who was named by Triple H as the new General Manager of SmackDown on Friday, made the announcement.
Dominik Mysterio had entered the ring during the Triple H segment to complain about Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso defending the Undisputed Tag Team titles just days before The Judgment Day got their title match on Raw this coming Monday. When Aldis introduced Owens, Owens immediately came out and gave Mysterio a stunner to end the segment.
Back at Payback in September, Cody Rhodes revealed that he managed to get Jey Uso traded to Raw. In return, a Raw star would be traded to SmackDown. After Rhodes and Uso won the WWE Tag Team titles at Fastlane last Saturday, they successfully defended the titles on Monday, defeating Owens and Sami Zayn, who had been teaming together for most of the year.
Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso didn’t wait long to make their first Undisputed WWE Tag Team title defense.
Just two days after becoming champions, Rhodes & Uso defended their Undisputed Tag Team titles against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn on Raw last night. Rhodes & Uso hit their 1D Cody Cutter on Owens before pinning him to retain.
The Tag Team title match was set up when Owens & Zayn interrupted an interview with Rhodes & Uso. Zayn had mixed emotions about Rhodes & Uso winning the titles. He was happy for them, but Zayn felt like he and Owens should be champions. On the other hand, Owens didn’t have mixed emotions. He wasn’t happy to see Rhodes & Uso with the tag title belts. Owens wanted a match against Rhodes & Uso. The champions accepted his challenge.
The two teams were back on the same page after their title match. Zayn shook hands with both Rhodes and Uso. Though Owens was initially hesitant to embrace Uso, he followed suit by shaking both of their hands as well.
In a Fastlane rematch, Rhodes & Uso are defending their Tag Team titles against The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) on Raw next Monday.
The next challengers for World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Intercontinental Champion Gunther emerged last night. Rollins is defending against Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia next month. Gunther will defend his Intercontinental title against Bronson Reed on Raw next Monday.
Plus, Becky Lynch defended her NXT Women’s Championship against Tegan Nox last night.
Every member of The Judgment Day now holds championship gold.
After months of dissension, Finn Balor & Damian Priest worked together to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles from Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn at Payback. Because the match was a Steel City Street Fight, interference was legal. Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley, and JD McDonagh all got involved.
Balor pinned Zayn to win the titles after Dominik struck Zayn with Priest’s Money in the Bank briefcase. There was a point leading into the finish where Zayn had the match won after giving Priest a Helluva Kick, but McDonagh pulled Zayn out of the ring before the referee could count to three. Ripley then took out Owens with a spear through the barricade.
Balor’s friendship with McDonagh has caused much of the distrust between Balor and Priest in recent weeks. On Raw this past Monday, Priest told McDonagh to stay out of his business. McDonagh isn’t an official member of Judgment Day.
Ripley told Balor & Priest on Raw that changes would be coming to Judgment Day if they didn’t defeat Owens & Zayn.
The Steel City Street Fight included a spot where Owens gave Dominik a Swanton through a table after jumping off of a stairwell.
Following Balor & Priest’s victory, The Judgment Day stood united on the stage with all of their title belts. Ripley currently holds the Women’s World Championship and Dominik holds the NXT North American title. Priest is also still in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Kevin Owens officially made his return to WWE on Monday’s Raw.
Owens’ tag team partner Sami Zayn was cutting a promo in the opening segment of Monday’s Raw when The Judgment Day arrived, targeting Zayn. Zayn countered by saying that he knew better than to come to Quebec City alone, introducing the returning Owens, who cleared the ring. Owens then challenged any two members of Judgment Day to face he and Zayn in a tag team match later on Raw.
Owens had been sidelined with a rib injury that has kept him out of action for the last month. His last match prior to injury took place on July 17. He returned this past weekend for a dark match on SmackDown and also at a house show in Laval, Quebec, Canada.
In recent weeks, Sami Zayn has been dealing with bursitis in his elbow but has continued to wrestle. On last week’s Raw, he defeated JD McDonagh in a singles match. However, later in the show, he was laid out by members of Judgment Day and McDonagh along with Cody Rhodes.
One half of the undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions returned to the ring in a dark match after Friday’s edition of SmackDown in Toronto went off the air. He teamed with fellow champion Sami Zayn & Drew McIntyre in a win over Imperium’s Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci after they were about to attack Edge.
They ran the match back to open an Ottawa live event Friday as the babyfaces again picked up a win after McIntyre hit a Claymore kick on Gunther, Zayn hit the Helluva kick on Vinci and Owens stunnered Kaiser for the pin and win.
In late-July, it was revealed that Owens was wrestling with a fractured rib for some time and was written off in storyline after an attack by The Judgement Day to give him time to heal.
Before Friday, the 39-year-old hadn’t wrestled since a July 17th title defense over The Judgement Day’s Damien Priest & Dominik Mysterio on Raw.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the death of Adrian Street, RAW, NXT and AEW previews for the week, this is a dangerous sport, how rings are put together by people other than Bryan, NXT PLE thoughts and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Kevin Owens isn’t sure what the future holds for his wrestling career.
The 39-year-old still has approximately a year and a half left on the three-year deal he signed with WWE in late 2021. Owens recently told the Toronto Sun that he’s not certain what’s next for him once his current deal expires.
“I really don’t know,” Owens said. “I used to say I don’t see myself not being in the ring for another five to 10 years. And if I said it right now, I’d be lying because over the last few months, I have to admit, I don’t know if that’s true anymore.”
“I look at things and I don’t know where I stand going beyond the next year and a half. 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. Maybe it’s still in the ring, maybe it’s not. I don’t know.”
Owens continued to say that he’s focused on enjoying the next year and a half of his career as much as possible. Having headlined WrestleMania against Steve Austin, won the tag titles at WrestleMania with his longtime friend Sami Zayn, and being a former Universal Champion means Owens doesn’t have many goals left to achieve. Instead, he just wants to create fun memories for fans to remember him by.
“I think for the next year and a half, my focus is just on enjoying everything I do as much as possible,” he continued. “There’s not really a worry about winning a title or main-eventing WrestleMania or any of that stuff anymore, which are the dreams that everybody has because I’ve been so blessed and I’ve gotten to do all of that. So I just want to have fun and I want to give people fun times to remember me by.”
“Whether this is the end for my wrestling, I don’t know and I don’t want to sound dramatic, I don’t want to say this is a retirement speech or anything because I might still be wrestling for 10 years. I have no idea. My thought process right now is just to try to enjoy the next year and a half as much as I possibly can because I don’t know what’s on the other side. That’s really all I’m worrying about.”
Our own Dave Meltzer reported in December 2021 that the deal Owens signed was in the $2-3 million range. He first signed with the company in the summer of 2014 and debuted in NXT later that year. In his time with WWE, Owens is a former NXT Champion, Universal Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, three-time United States Champion, and one-time WWE Tag Team Champion along with Sami Zayn. He was voted “Best Brawler” in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for three straight years from 2010-12 and his feud with El Generico was voted Feud of the Year in 2010.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including RAW from Monday night and the build to SummerSlam, how Smackdown on FS1, Collision and Rampage did, women drawing big for WWE again, Liv and Kevin Owens injury updates and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
WWE Tag Team Champion Kevin Owens has been wrestling recently with a fractured rib.
Dave Meltzer provided the details on the post-Raw Wrestling Observer Radio, available for subscribers.
Meltzer said Owens has been working with the injury “for a while” and that they were waiting to finish up with the current storyline to give him a break. He wasn’t sure how long Owens will be out of action or what the status is for the undisputed WWE Tag Team titles that Owens holds with Sami Zayn.
Owens was taken out on Monday’s WWE Raw by The Judgment Day after Zayn’s match with Dominik Mysterio. Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley threw the injured Owens into the entranceway, causing a distraction for Zayn which led to a loss. Later, Owens was shown being checked on by medical personnel as he thought something was broken.
Liv Morgan shoulder injury update
Owens wasn’t the only WWE wrestler taken out by The Judgment Day Monday as Liv Morgan’s right shoulder was “Pillmanized” by Ripley. The angle was done to write Morgan out of storyline as she is dealing with a legitimate injury.
Talking about the injury on WOR, Bryan Alvarez said it was his understanding that while Ripley attacked Morgan’s left shoulder, it’s Morgan’s right shoulder that is putting her out of action.
The details of the injury (what it is, when it was suffered, etc.) are still unknown as of this writing.
