Owens may not be my real last name, but it's close as it gets, because it's my son's name, Owen. That's why I picked that name, and Kevin Owens is who I am. I can't stress that enough.
— Kevin Owens
I met Steve Austin at an airport in 2005, and he gave me the best piece of advice I could ever receive - to keep running my mouth and never stop talking! I took that advice to heart, and it has helped me get where I am today.
Whenever WWE is in town, it's a great time, but Live Events are special. If you've never been to one, I highly recommend it.
Honestly, to me, the WWE championship and the Universal championship are the same thing. They're the top championships on the respective brands.
You don't want to be too hesitant and not give everything you could give.
I played hockey until I was 13 or 14 years old.
I've always found a way to stand out from the crowd.
I wrestled in Detroit many times before getting to WWE.
Everything I do really is for my family.
I was in NXT for six months, and it was some of the best times I've had in my career.
I think healthy competition is great, and I think WWE would agree.
The Hell in a Cell match that always sticks in my mind is the original Michaels versus Undertaker match. It was really something. The bout itself was so good, while Kane's debut made it even more memorable. That takes the cake in terms of Hell in a Cell matches.
I always strive to receive the loudest reaction that I can; whether that is being booed out of the building or being cheered.
NXT is very special, and everybody who turns in for Unstoppable is gonna see that.
When I signed with WWE and moved to Orlando, my wife and my two kids came with me.
When I was 11 years old, I started watching WWE.
I don't feel like I'm a character; I certainly don't feel like I'm a gimmick. I am who I am.
I would like to be champion - that is everybody's ultimate goal - but my one goal at all times, whether on Raw, Smackdown, a pay-per-view, or a live event, is to make people walk away and remember what I did.
When I was a kid and went to shows, my favorites were Live Events. You really see a performer's personality on Live Events than on TV.
I've wrestled in front of great crowds in Montreal, and I've wrestled absolutely terrible crowds where you're in front of, like, 200 people.
Everybody at the Performance Center is trying to help you in their own way, and they give you their opinion on what they think will work or what they think you should do.
Fortunately, in the WWE, the security staff is very dedicated and very professional. They know what they're doing.
I know Jim Cornette says the reason that I'm successful now is because I changed my attitude, and I must be listening to what people tell me now, and I used to not listen to him. But the thing is, I used to not listen to him or question his methods because I didn't agree with him, and I didn't share his vision.
John Cena and Roman Reigns get insane reactions where half the crowd loves them and half the crowd despises them. When you're in the ring waiting for your opponent, whether it's John or Roman, you get hit by this crazy noise.
I enjoy every second I get in the ring. But there's a bigger picture now and a much bigger purpose to everything, and it's to take care of my kids and my wife and make sure they have a good future.
To be clear, NXT is a great place to be at, you know what I mean? ... Obviously, everybody aspires to be on Raw or Smackdown. That's why they sign with WWE, because they want to be able to perform on that stage and at Wrestlemania and Summerslam.
From the time I was 11 until I was 23 and met my wife, wrestling was all I cared about. It was an obsession, and that's why I think I ended up making it. There was no other option for me.
It is pretty daunting - the Cell has been responsible for some amazing matches, but it can also lead to some pretty real injuries, so that plays into your mind.
I don't think anybody deserves anything than what they already have because I believe everyone gets what they deserve.
If there's something funny to be said, I will say it.
I'm well aware that no matter how big of a jerk I am, some people will cheer me, and no matter what I do, some people will boo me, and that's fine. I just need to elicit emotion. That's all I care about.
Great matches are necessary, and everybody loves to watch a great match.
I was actually a big Owen Hart fan, but I wasn't a Bret Hart fan at all growing up.
I was drafted way later than I should have been, and all that shows me is people don't see my true value.
There's a lot of people out there who are just miserable in their own lives, I guess, and just trying to make other people miserable as well to bring themselves up. There's no shortage of that, that's for sure.
The crowds have always been known to be pretty loud and wild in the South.
After a couple of years, in 2010, Ring Of Honor went through a shift in management, and the people that came in and took over kind of decided that they wanted to push me out. They weren't fans.
I think when people don't respect wrestling, it's because they're misinformed.
I'll never forget fighting on top of a cell with Shane McMahon.
Thank God for FaceTime. I can't imagine wrestlers from the '80s being on the road all the time without cell phones and stuff like that.
All I really care about is my son.
NXT really built some momentum and became something pretty special.
I've never been the sort of guy who wants to emulate this guy or that guy. I just try to forge my own path.
People ask me how I am such a good heel, but I don't know; I just try to be me and go and do what I need to do to get the job done on any show that I am on and achieve the work that is set up in front of me.
Sometimes you have chemistry with people that is undeniable, and it just works, and sometimes you have matches with someone you think you are going to have good chemistry with, and it just doesn't turn out that way.
I'm genuine, and I think people can see that when they watch.
Shawn Michaels is the reason I wanted to be a wrestler.
