Former Universal Champion breaks silence after WWE NXT return; takes a major shot at Logan Paul

Kevin Owens made a surprise return to NXT on New Year's Evil this week where he attacked Grayson Waller. He also took a shot at Logan Paul's US Title reign in a post-show interview.

The Aussie star collided with Trick Williams in the main event of the show in an attempt to replace the latter as the #1 contender for the coveted NXT Championship. However, KO attacked Waller at ringside while the referee was distracted, costing him an opportunity at the title shot.

After the show, Kevin Owens explained why he attacked Grayson Waller, stating that he wanted to get payback for what he and Austin Theory did to him.

"Well, I was watching at home, I don't live too far from here, and once I saw that Grayson Waller was gonna be involved, I figured, what better way to start 2024 than by getting some payback for the broken hand thing, because he and Theory broke my hand. And then I figured Theory might not be there, so great opportunity. You know what I mean?" said Owens. [0:08-0:30]

The SmackDown star then took a shot at Logan Paul's reign as United States Champion, stating:

"You know now 2024 is off to a great start. And Friday I make it better by beating Santos Escobar, moving on, winning the whole tournament, and then I go on to the Royal Rumble, beat Logan Paul, restore some sort of prestige to the US Title, because he's done a hell of a job bringing it way down. And then 2024, we're rocking. So that's about it," he said. [0:33-1:00]

---

Will Kevin Owens be the one to dethrone Logan Paul for the WWE United States Championship?

Before he can get to The Maverick, KO has to face Santos Escobar on WWE SmackDown this Friday in the finals of the United States Championship No. 1 Contender Tournament. He has held the title before, which means he knows what he has to do to win it.

If Kevin Owens beats Escobar, he'll challenge Logan Paul for the title at Royal Rumble. Kevin Owens is one of the top stars in WWE right now, and he has what it takes to dethrone The Social Media Megastar. It'll be interesting to see whether he'll emerge victorious on SmackDown and at the upcoming premium live event.

---

Do you think Kevin Owens will become the next US Champion? Sound off in the comments swction below!

---

If you use any quotes from this article, please give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.