WWE News: Kevin Owens credits Triple H for his current place in WWE
Owens with Triple H after his Universal Championship victory
Kevin Owens came into the WWE in 2014 and made his debut at NXT Takeover: Revolution. Many felt it was long overdue since Owens (then known as Kevin Steen) had made a huge name for himself in the independent scene, most notably in Ring Of Honor and PWG.
Kevin Owens got called up to the main roster quicker than a majority of talents who go through NXT, getting called up within 6 months of his NXT debut. And it wasn’t just any other call-up. Owens confronted John Cena and even went on to defeat him clean in his first match on the main roster at Elimination Chamber 2015.
It has been no secret that Owens is a “Triple H” guy, similar to Finn Balor, the last WWE Universal Champion. It was Triple H who personally got Owens into the WWE, and it is also Triple H who has clearly vouched for Owens to Vince McMahon, telling him that he believes Owens is one of the future top heels of the company.
That has reflected in the booking of Owens for the last 15 months on the main roster. He has constantly been featured in prominent feuds, and in fact, has become the first person in WWE history to ever wrestle in all 12 pay-per-views in a calender year since his debut. Charlotte became the second one this year when she wrestled at Battleground.
Fast forward to now and Kevin Owens is the WWE Universal Champion, which now makes him the top guy on Monday Night Raw. In the storyline, Triple H helped Owens win the championship, and in some sense, reality has blended into fiction.
Owens, in an interview with Busted Open Radio at the WWE 2K17 launch party (which was a day before Summerslam), had nothing but praise for The Game:
"That all came down to Triple H. I did my tryout and the bottom line was his, the final word was his. He wanted to take a shot, I think because he knew... you know, some people talk about the style I used to have on the independents but I think Triple H knows -- obviously he knows exactly what he's doing and he's an incredibly smart man for what we do -- I think he knew that I can adapt and I could bring something special to the company, and I think I have. But I wouldn't have gotten the chance to do that without him. There are a lot of people in NXT that helped me, like I met Dusty (Rhodes). He was so instrumental and so helpful. Matt Bloom, Terry Taylor, almost too many to name, but if it wasn't for Triple H making that call in the first place, I wouldn't be here. So that's something I'm always going to be grateful for."
It appears that Kevin Owens has become the beneficiary of Finn Balor’s injury. The question now is, would you like to see Kevin Owens as champion going into Wrestlemania 33?