"Selfish pricks" - Kevin Owens breaks silence after issuing public statement due to fan backlash
Kevin Owens has responded to fan backlash of his recent comments on social media. Owens was ruled out of WrestleMania 41 after being diagnosed with a neck injury, which needed immediate surgery.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, KO shared his disdain for fans wanting a lot of autographs. He stated that while he had no problem with taking a picture or two, he wasn't in favor of getting hounded by some fans looking to get multiple items signed.
Owens initially posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about his remarks and doubled down on his stance on people waiting for WWE Superstars at airports. He said he preferred signing autographs for real fans rather than people trying to make money off his signature.
Following fan backlash, Kevin Owens responded to a fan's question about why he preferred pictures over signing autographs.
"Because a picture takes a second. Usually, the people that are there to sell the stuff we sign have a dozen things to sign. I used to say 'I’ll sign one,' and still get attitude back or they’d get something signed and then come back again a few seconds later, hoping I didn’t pay close enough attention to who I was signing for and try to get something else signed. It’s like anything else in life... The people that are cool and sensible end up paying the price because of the ones that are selfish pricks. Taking a picture with everyone is my way of making sure the good ones still get something," Owens responded.
There have been plenty of times over the years when WWE Superstars were hounded at airports by fans looking to make a living by selling their autographs.
Conflicting reports on Kevin Owens' neck injury and surgery
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer initially reported that Kevin Owens underwent surgery on his injured neck last week. However, Sean Ross Sapp, of Fightful Select, came out with a report stating that Owens hasn't had surgery yet, and that his injury could keep him out until after WrestleMania 42.
Details about KO's injury are scarce, but he'll likely miss at least a year of action. Braun Strowman and Erik of the War Raiders both missed more than a year after undergoing neck surgeries in 2023.