Kevin Owens still has a lot of respect for his former tag team partner, Randy Orton.
WWE Superstar Kevin Owens recently spoke with Alex McCarthy of Daily Mail. When asked about his time teaming with Randy Orton, Owens detailed what that meant to him on a professional and personal level.
“The nature of professional wrestling is that we end up on opposite sides of the ring and once in a while we will team. As far as Randy goes, there is no-one in WWE that I respect as much I respect Randy,” Kevin Owens said. “That is not a knock on anyone else, that is just a credit to how much I respect Randy Orton.
“On a professional level, but also a personal level, he will willingly talk about the mistakes he has made when he was younger and first starting out because he wants to be an example of what to do and what not to do. He is very open about it and I respect him so much. I have seen how much he has changed even in the time I have known him.
“All the credit for that goes to his family, he gives it to his wife and kids. He is just a real positive influence in our locker room. When he wasn’t here, you could feel it. When Randy Orton is around, people are on their toes more because they want Randy to respect them. Randy’s respect is worth a lot.
Kevin Owens wishes he had a Tag Title run with Randy Orton
“To have gotten the chance to work with him as a tag team – if it was up to me none of what has happened the last few months would have happened – I would still be teaming with Randy on TV together and going after the tag team titles. That’s what I wish was happening, obviously, that is not how things have turned out. It does not change how much I respect Randy and how grateful I am for the role he has played in my career having been around him.
“I think it is pretty public how he recently signed a new contract so he is going to be around for a good while. He is someone we need for the NXT guys coming up to have an example to look to. There are plenty of us right, you want examples of who to look up to, The New Day, Randy, there are so many of our women, there’s a lot. But at the top of the list is Randy Orton.”
READ MORE: Kevin Owens: I’m Still Hungry, I’d Love To Have Another Run As Champion
What do you make of Kevin Owens’ comments? Did you enjoy his run as a tag team with Randy Orton? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
