"Had some extra weight" - Chris Jericho reveals that Vince McMahon wasn't a fan of former WWE Universal Champion's physique
Kevin Owens' former tag team partner Chris Jericho has revealed that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon seemingly wasn't a fan of the former WWE Universal Champion due to his weight and wasn't happy with his work as a heel.
Kevin Owens and Vince McMahon's off-screen relationship has always been a hot topic for the WWE Universe. In an interview with talkSPORT, Jericho revealed how McMahon took his frustrations out on Owens after his match at WrestleMania 33.
Vince's reaction to Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania https://t.co/VLWoPn5spl
McMahon told Owens that his 'Mania 33 showdown against Chris Jericho was the ‘worst match in WrestleMania history.’
"He told Kevin it was the ‘worst match in WrestleMania history’ [laughs]. I never heard anything about that. When I came through, Vince went [thumbs up], so I think he was on Kevin’s case at the time," Jericho said.
As per the former AEW World Champion, McMahon also wasn't fond of Owens' physique and was going through a phase where he wanted the former WWE Universal Champion to lose weight.
“I think he was going through a phase where he thought maybe Kevin had some extra weight that he wanted him to lose or wasn’t happy with his work as a heel.”
Despite McMahon's comments, Chris Jericho justified how his former on-screen tag team partner is a brilliant wrestler regardless of his weight. Y2J labeled Owens "a very unique performer."
https://t.co/H18hFy3Hlh
“Kevin is a very unique performer in that he’s amazing and he’s a bigger guy. Who cares? Mick Foley was a bigger guy, Vader was a bigger guy, Bam Bam Bigelow was a bigger guy. Didn’t affect their work. They were still great performers, and Kevin is one of those guys. ”
Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens were part of a dynamic duo in WWE
In 2016, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens allied with one another. The duo didn't start on the best of terms, as both men claimed they did not need the help of one another.
At the time, Owens was the WWE Universal Champion and Y2J had helped him retain the belt on a few occasions. In a 2-on-1 Handicap Match, Jericho and Owens teamed up to face Roman Reigns, and Jericho went on to pin The Big Dog to win the WWE United States Championship.
In February of 2017, tensions started to grow between Jericho and Owens, and during the Festival of Friendship, Owens finally betrayed his tag team partner. At the Fastlane pay-per-view, Jericho's interference led to Goldberg winning the WWE Universal Championship from Owens.
At WrestleMania 33, Chris Jericho lost the WWE United States Championship to Owens. Since then, Owens has not recaptured the Universal Championship or won the WWE Championship.