“I Told Sami Zayn I Was Going To Quit Wrestling” – Kevin Owens
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Kevin Owens is one of those wrestlers who have payed their dues in the independent circuit before making it big in the WWE. ‘The Prizefighter’ competed for niche promotions like Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Guerilla before enticing mainstream audiences.
If you’re a hardcore fan of professional wrestling, you know that these underground promotions (ROH is not underground anymore) are a goldmine of talent. Even though WWE is considered the gold standard of professional wrestling, it’s mainly for the entertainment value and the dollars.
It’s in the bingo halls that talented men and women are pouring their blood and sweat to not just live their professional wrestling dream, but also to make ends meet. Back in the day, Kevin Owens was known as Kevin Steen.
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Wherever he went, chants of ‘Kill Steen Kill’ filled the arenas. Needless to say, he had a hardcore style of wrestling and performed some death defying piledrivers.
When you look at Owens, you see a student of the art form of professional wrestling. Such was his devotion to the sport, that he learnt English while watching episodes of Raw as a child (Owens’ native tongue is French).
It’s hard to imagine that today when you hear him deliver the best promos in the modern era.
Surely there’s no one who made Owens question his potential in the business? Wrong.
Recently, independent wrestler Brandon Littlejohn, better known as Cheeseburger from Ring of Honor, posed an interesting question to the professional wrestling community.
He asked his peers about one moment in their careers, when their opponent was so good that they made them question their place in professional wrestling.
Owens had a laundry list and you must certainly read it if you’re a fan.
Kevin Owens names those wrestlers who made him question himself
Kevin Owens named some greats from the independent circuit. Interestingly, these are not NJPW legends or WWE greats. They might just be the people whom you would least expect.
There’s a lot of them but the most memorable one to me isn’t even someone I wrestled.
Back in 2005, I watched @mrbriankendrick’s match at an ROH show I was also on and was so blown away by how good he was that I’m pretty sure I told @SamiZayn I was going to quit wrestling! https://t.co/bxri89KQtT
— “Kickoff” K.O. (@FightOwensFight) July 25, 2020
The first one was @facdaniels in 2004. Poor Chris!
Then, throughout the years, @StevenCorino, @findevan, @supercima1115, @ringfox1, @LondonFU and @OfficialPWG’s Super Dragon are all guys that made me rethink my entire existence after I had the chance to wrestle them. https://t.co/bxri89KQtT
— “Kickoff” K.O. (@FightOwensFight) July 25, 2020
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Owens places special emphasis on Brian Kendrick. The legendary Cruiserweight has traveled all over the world in the pursuit of his dreams. Unfortunately, WWE never gave him the big push that he deserved.
The other names on this list are legends in their own right. Christopher Daniels, for instance, had skills that matched those of his best friend AJ Styles. In addition, the Fallen Angel had the capability to play a wide array of characters, something that AJ struggled with.
You can say that age and some bad luck prevented Daniels from transcending to the next level.
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Nevertheless, it will be foolish to define success as a professional wrestler solely through a great WWE run. As Kevin Owens illustrates, there are diamonds out there in the rough. A true fan of the sport would widen their horizons to appreciate this great pool of professional wrestling talent.
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