Kevin Owens Details How WrestleMania Match Came Together

This past April, at WWE WrestleMania 38, one of the industry's biggest stars came out of retirement after nearly 20 years — "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin's match against Kevin Owens was one of the most impressive points of a WrestleMania full of action. The veteran showed little sign of rust, despite being on the shelf since 2003. Speaking to the New York Post, Owens shared some details on how the monumental match came together.

"I still don't have a full grasp on how that happened," Owens said. "All I know is I was told by several people, from Steve to Vince McMahon to Bruce Prichard, it couldn't have been anybody other than you — meaning me — with Steve." Since initially signing with WWE in 2014, a great deal of trust has been placed in Owens, from helping carry some of the earlier days of "WWE NXT" to being brought up to the main roster with a shocking victory over John Cena. The match against Austin was more proof that the company places an immense amount of value on Owens.

"I'm not sure who suggested it, who asked for it or how it came about," Owens continued. "One day I'll find out. But the point is that it's extremely flattering to me that those three all thought I was the best choice. There's really no higher compliment than that for me."

The former WWE Universal Champion has had a connection to Austin for quite some time now, adopting his universally-recognized finisher, the "Stunner," back in 2019, with the blessing of "The Texas Rattlesnake." Owens, along with close friend/in-ring enemy Sami Zayn, also had a fateful meeting with Austin in 2005 at a Texas airport — an encounter that Owens has said influenced his career forever from that moment forward.