Kevin Owens Talks Belonging at the Top in WWE, His Time in NXT, His Size, Who Inspired Him to Become a Wrestler, Twitter Trolls & More

May 11, 2016

Kevin Owens was the special guest on last night’s ESPN Off the Top Rope segment hosted by Jonathan Coachman.

During the interview, which you can watch in the videos below, Owens talks about his time in WWE NXT, and how it helped him transition to the main roster. Owens reveals that Shawn Michaels and WrestleMania 11 were two things that influenced him to become a professional wrestler. He added that when he had his first match, at age 16, he weighed about 150 pounds. He admitted that he has gained some weight over the years, but even at 266 pounds he can do moves that most guys smaller than him cannot do.

With regards to social media, Coachman called Owens a social media icon, and Owens said that he joined Twitter in 2011. He says he’s not gonna take crap from fans on Twitter, and he enjoys mixing it up with people on social media. He warned fans that if you come at him on Twitter, chances are he will come back at you, because he’s a pretty witty guy.

Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.

Nick attended New York University and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Drama.

Nick first entered the internet wrestling community back in 2004 when he became the co-host of The Voice of Wrestling Radio Show. From there, Nick made the transition from radio personality to editor when he began working with WrestleZone in 2008.

Nick is a member of two Off-Broadway theatre companies, Another Urban Riff, and the Drama Desk Award winning Godlight Theatre Company. Nick has appeared in over a dozen Off-Broadway plays since he moved to New York City, and has shot several short and feature length films. In 2010, he completed principle photography on a film titled "How to Score Your Life," which also features TNA Knockout ODB.

Inspiration in his life has come from many people including his family, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles, and of course, Lassie.