Kevin Owens On His WWE Elimination Chamber 2023 Booking, Cardona/Steph De Lander
Sami Zayn failed to dethrone Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber 2023 pay-per-view event. Following the match, Reigns and Jimmy Uso assaulted Zayn until Kevin Owens appeared and attacked The Bloodline.
Zayn performed a Helluva Kick on Reigns and had a staredown with Owens, who left the ring. The former “Honorary Uce” then received a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd to close out the show.
In a recent interview with Spencer Love, Owens noted that while he is grateful for that heroic moment, he wished he had been on the actual Elimination Card 2023 card with a proper match of his own. Owens said,
“I gotta be honest, not being on the actual show was a real bummer. There’s no way around that. I really wish I could have been there. But to be a little part of it at the end was great, and to see Sammy get his really big moment they he deserved and to see everybody reacting to him the way they did after all these years, obviously any time he’d show up in Montreal, he’d get a great reaction. But to be in that spot in that moment, for him that was really big. It was great to see that, but not being on the show definitely hurt a little.”
“But honestly it’s not even just because it’s Montreal. I feel the same way everywhere. Any time we go to Canada and I’m not on one of the shows, I’m like, why am I not on this show? Canada is funny this way where we’ve tried to explain this to people in WWE and other wrestlers and even people in management, but I don’t think they quite grasp that Canada is just one big city in a way for their homegrown guys. Whether we go to Winnipeg or Toronto or Quebec or Vancouver, anywhere across Canada, really, we’re welcome as being hometown guys. That’s really special, so any time there’s a show in Canada and I’m not on it, that hurts a little.”
Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander are drawing a lot of attention on the independent circuit, and the two recently discussed how their alliance came into being.
Cardona and De Lander were guests on the latest episode of the “NotSam Wrestling” podcast and you can check out some highlights below:
De Lander on how they first met on the indies: “We were on a tour in Australia. I grew up watching him, [so] I’ve known of him for years. We didn’t really know each other personally. We met each other once, but we didn’t really have a relationship [and] we were on this tour together in Australia. He came up to me and was like, ‘Hey I have to ask you a question.’ … I instantly [thought] I’ve done something wrong because we literally never spoken.”
Cardona on wanting to work with De Lander: “Just look at her. The piercings, she’s like six feet tall, the blonde bangs. That girl is it. I asked her if she wanted to be my heater [and] she said yes. Then I went to the promoter [and asked to] do this tomorrow night or whatever? Let’s f***ing start it now … It worked and then [I’m like,] ‘Okay well how am I gonna get her booked on all these shows that I’m already booked on?’”
De Lander on Cardona’s determination: “I feel like we both had that mindset separately and then joining forces it’s been perfect. There was no fear whatsoever and there always is in wrestling. This was something that probably that I’ve been the most sure of in my entire wrestling career. I’ve never said that, but it’s true. How many years did he spend in WWE? Like 14. That doesn’t happen by accident you know, so you’ve got to be doing something right.
“What he has created for himself is insane, so if he’s been able to do that for himself, what can he create with me along for the ride? I said to him very early on, ‘You don’t know me yet, but you have picked the right person. Whatever you want to do, I will do it 110%. I’m up for everything. I want to run with this as much as you want to run with it.’ We’ve both kind of had that mindset and I think that’s why it’s done well.”
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