"I knew he was special right from moment one"- former WWE Superstar lauds Kevin Owens for an incredible WrestleMania performance
Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy was full of praise for Kevin Owens, calling him the "perfect guy" for Stone Cold Steve Austin's return match at WrestleMania 38.
The Prizefighter's lifelong dream came true at The Show of Shows this year as he locked horns with The Texas Rattlesnake in an impromptu match. Although KO was on the losing end of the match, he impressed a lot of fans with his incredible performance.
Speaking about the big match on his The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the former WWE star reminisced about his Ring of Honor days with Owens, stating that a lot of people were judgemental about KO's body shape back then:
"I'm so happy for Kevin Owens," said Matt. I have a lot of respect for him. I got to talk to him afterward too. I'm so glad he got that moment because he was a guy that I first worked with in Ring of Honor and I knew he was special right from moment one. He's such a great performer. A lot of people then were judgmental of his body shape but the hell with that man, that really doesn't make a difference in the standing age."
What a moment for Kevin Owens. #WrestleMania https://t.co/8XPr33goKd
Matt Hardy went on to heap praise on Kevin Owens, calling him an excellent speaker and entertainer:
"It's all about how athletic you are, what you can do, how well you can entertain people. He is an incredible speaker in two languages, French and English. So I got a lot of love for Kevin and a lot of respect for him, especially like over kids and family stuff. We bonded a little more throughout the years, so I'm so happy he got that moment against Steven. He was the perfect guy to put in that situation in my opinion as well to give Steve the best outing you possibly have," Matt added. [6:54 to 7:41]
Kevin Owens’ WrestleMania performance was called Oscar-worthy by WWE legend Booker T
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T also weighed in on the No Holds Barred match between Kevin Owens and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania.
The former WCW Champion gave props to KO, who he felt delivered an Oscar-worthy performance. Booker-T went on to call Owens one of the best guys on the roster, stating that the latter knows what professional wrestling means:
"Kevin Owens, he deserves an Oscar. He really does, for the work that he put in on that night. Kevin Owens, I've said it for a long time, this guy is one of the best guys on the roster. I've said that about this guy. He is what professional wrestling is. He is what a professional wrestler does," said Booker.
The amount of trust WWE and Austin have in Kevin Owens for this to happen… #WrestleMania
Owens has received massive praise from the wrestling world for his performance, partly due to the fact that he carried the entire feud by himself, as Stone Cold never appeared live on Raw during the build-up to WrestleMania.
If you use any quotes from the article, please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast with H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.