AEW's Juice Robinson Recalls Breaking WWE Star Kevin Owens' Nose

Juice Robinson is The Bang Bang Gang's loose cannon. But before the former IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion was the hirsute, tornado of punches, he was CJ Parker, the eco-friendly, consciously mindful NXT Superstar who is most famous for busting Kevin Owens's nose in his "WWE NXT" debut match, with a stiff cannonball in the corner.

"Wrestling's, it's one of the things that's so physical that ... the super, super physicalness of it can bring you together," Robinson told SHAK Wrestling about the injury. 

Juice had never hit anyone that hard, and Owens had never been hit as hard, and the two men were united in their pain. "It hurt us both. I tore my palm, bridge of his nose cut my palm. I had a hole in my palm and his nose was just destroyed," he added.

According to Robinson, the match's aftermath wasn't as angry as he expected. Instead of having to fight an angry Owens in front of then-NXT head boss Paul Levesque, the two men ended up sharing a smile.

"He's the kinda guy, you could break his nose and there's a good chance he'll smile," Juice said. He added that while he is crazy, Owens is simply "a tough guy" when it comes to risk, and the two shared a camaraderie over their lack of tenderness in the ring. "I don't mind the physical repercussions of wrestling either and I like people who get physical and he does too."

Robinson left WWE not long after the match, joining the New Japan Dojo and becoming a star in NJPW, where he held multiple titles before joining AEW.