WWE SmackDown star called Shawn Michaels out of the blue to seek advice
Shawn Michaels is widely viewed as one of the greatest WWE Superstars ever. In a recent interview, Kevin Owens opened up about a phone call he had with The Heartbreak Kid during a difficult time in his career.
In 2014, Owens joined WWE after making a name for himself elsewhere in the wrestling industry as Kevin Steen. The Canadian won several titles in his first few years in WWE, including the Intercontinental, NXT, United States, and Universal Championships. However, he struggled to enjoy any of his accomplishments.
Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, the SmackDown star revealed that Michaels understood why he constantly had concerns about his position in WWE:
"I actually remember one of the very useful talks I had was with Shawn Michaels," Owens said. "I called him out of the blue and he was kind enough to listen. He told me a lot of ways where throughout his career he was a lot like me, always obsessed with what's next, not enjoying the ride. Just hearing it from somebody I looked up to so much just kinda helped me let go of that." [7:28 – 7:56]
Shawn Michaels is the head booker of WWE's NXT developmental brand. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer retired from in-ring competition in 2010 before returning for a one-off match at Crown Jewel 2018.
Kevin Owens developed a new mindset thanks to Shawn Michaels
After speaking to Shawn Michaels, Kevin Owens went on to headline the first night of WrestleMania 38 against Stone Cold Steve Austin. He also main-evented the first night of WrestleMania 39 alongside Sami Zayn against The Usos.
While the 40-year-old still occasionally worries about his WWE status, he tries to remember the words of wisdom Michaels shared:
"Since then, I'll still have my moments where I get swept up [with feeling frustrated] but I'm able to pull back and go, 'Hey, this is pretty incredible. Maybe it's not perfect or maybe it's not the way you think it should be sometimes, but come on.' And that's been very helpful," Owens continued. [7:56 – 8:18]
On August 31, Owens will challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Bash in Berlin.
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