In WWE Backlash: France, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton teamed up to face Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga. Subsequent to the event, Owens made a guest appearance on WWE’s “The Bump” and engaged in a candid conversation about his vivid emotional response to the audience’s reaction to Orton’s entrance.
Here are a few important points that can be extracted from the conversation:
Highlighting the applause Orton received at Backlash, Owens articulated, “The most extraordinary aspect to me was the adoration and reverence the crowd showed Randy. Randy, who has been my role model for such a long time, before I even made my way to WWE as an ambitious wrestler, is in my view the absolutely perfect example of what a veteran should embody and what we should all strive to become in terms of being an example in the locker room. Randy wasn’t faultless in his earlier years, yet he willingly accepts his past mistakes. He truly exemplifies a leader without consciously recognizing it, without proclaiming he is a leader. He doesn’t need to declare he’s a locker room leader, it’s evident in his actions.”
Sharing his emotional response to the audience’s admiration for Orton, Owens shared, “He was basking in the moment and I could tell, it was hugely important to him, which very nearly had me teary-eyed. As the match was about to start when he was doing his signature move in the corner, that was a genuinely special moment for me and my most unswervable memory from the entire event. And the audience, their energy throughout was commendable, the admiration and regard they projected for Randy, and rightfully so, was extraordinary.”
Viewers can see this heartfelt discussion with Kevin Owens, along with additional content in the embedded interview.