Kevin Owens discusses not being on WWE RAW
Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens has been conspicuous by his absence from TV as of late. The Prizefighter showed up on WWE Network's The Bump to clear up a few misconceptions - as well as discuss some of the new talent in the company.
COVID-19 kept Kevin Owens at home
Nearly a week ago, it was reported that a second WWE performer had tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. This unnamed WWE employee was last used by the company as an audience member on June 9th. Since then, virus testing has been mandatory for all employees. No new cases have been reported within the company since then.
Much like Roman Reigns did earlier in the pandemic, Kevin Owens decided he was better off staying away from WWE taping for the sake of his family.
“Due to the circumstances that happened over the last week there, with... the positive coronavirus test that happened in the company, I thought it was just wiser for me to stay with my family... I told the people in charge my decision, and they didn’t even flinch, they were like, ‘Yeah, okay,’ and that’s it. There’s no pushback, I mean I don’t think they’d push back on anybody, but also they know once I make my mind up [about] something , that’s kinda the way it’s gonna be, and they were respectful of my decision. And I’m glad I took it because I think it was the best thing to do for my family.”
You can watch the entire episode here:
Kevin Owens on the influx of new WWE talent
Fortunately, Kevin Owens is already thinking about coming back to the ring. In fact, during the show, Kevin Owens talked about the opportunity to work with some of the new main roster arrivals like Apollo Crews and Angel Garza in the future.
“I’ve been getting the chance to wrestle these guys that I’ve never been in the ring with, that I’ve never competed against, and I’m discovering new talent... I’ve always known these guys were talented, you know, Apollo Crews in particular, I’ve known for several years, I’ve seen [him] wrestle so many times, but I’ve never gotten in the ring with him".
"And then Angel Garza, you know, I’ve seen come up in the last, I don’t know it hasn’t even been a year, right? The last six, seven, eight months, whatever it’s been, maybe even less... [H]e’s obviously extremely talented, so to be in the ring with them and get these new guys... [Well,] for me they’re new to be in the ring with, it’s invigorating and it’s been a lot of fun, and I really enjoy it.”
(H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription)