Kevin Owens didn’t need WWE creative to manufacture his problems with CM Punk. After nearly 20 years of tension finally spilled onto SmackDown, Owens says the two simply don’t like each other enough for any of this to need faking.
While speaking to FACES Magazine, Owens was directly asked whether he has had to manufacture any animosity toward Punk for their Undisputed WWE Championship feud. His answer was immediate.
“No. You know, some people, you’re just not compatible with, and he’s one of them. I’m sure he’d happily say the same, like, we don’t gel.”
That comes after Owens and Punk turned their August 14 SmackDown confrontation into something considerably more personal. Owens brought up their history from nearly two decades ago, accused Punk of embarrassing him in front of a locker room and admitted he regrets never punching him backstage when he had the chance.
Now they get to settle it inside the ring in Toronto, but Owens isn’t expecting the Canadian crowd to automatically take his side. He knows exactly how popular Punk is.
“You know, I don’t know if it’s so much home field advantage, honestly, because he’s obviously extremely popular, and the crowd might be split, the crowd might be more on his side, I really don’t know. I’m Canadian, yes, and Toronto’s always been incredible for me, but, you know, he’s a very, very popular guy.”
Toronto means considerably more to Owens than simply wrestling in Canada. It was where he competed in what he once believed could be the final match of his career before undergoing neck surgery.
“The reason I picked Toronto for the match was because not only is it an amazing crowd, but that’s where I had my last match, where I, what I thought would be my last match. And I remember thinking, if it is my last match, I really couldn’t have asked for a better place to have it, and a better opponent to do it with.”
This time, Owens gets to return to Toronto with the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line—and with his parents able to watch him wrestle again after there was a period when he wasn’t sure that would ever happen.
“So, my parents will be able to be there, and there was awhile where I didn’t know if my parents would ever get to see me in the ring again. And now, they’re going to get to see it, and it’s a big match, and it’s potentially a match where I could win the Undisputed World Title in front of them.”
Owens never got that opportunity when he won the Universal Championship. His wife, children and parents watched that moment on television rather than from inside the arena. After everything that happened with his neck and his uncertain wrestling future, getting another chance in front of them would hit differently.
“When I won the Universal Title, my wife, my kids, my parents, they were all watching on TV, but they weren’t there live. So, if I was able to do that with them live, after everything we’ve been through, it would just make everything so much, just so much better.”
Owens has plenty riding on Friday’s match, but one thing apparently doesn’t need any additional promotion. When it comes to his issues with CM Punk, Owens says there’s nothing manufactured about them. They simply “don’t gel,” and now they get to fight with the Undisputed WWE Championship at stake.
Do you think Kevin Owens will dethrone CM Punk in Toronto, and how much of their real-life tension will come through in the match? Let us know in the comments.
