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Former WWE star Tino Sabbatelli described his first impression of Kevin Owens.
Tino, a former NFL player, was a part of the Stamford-based promotion from 2014 to 2020. He was assigned to the company's developmental brand, NXT, where he mostly competed in house shows. KO was also a mainstay on NXT programming from 2014 to 2015, during which he won the NXT title once.
Speaking on the latest episode of Sportskeeda's UnSKripted about his time on WWE's third brand, Sabbatelli mentioned that coming from an NFL background, he was shocked upon seeing Owens as the top star, pointing out the latter's physique.
"A quick story about Kevin Owens. I mean, the guy is a tremendous superstar. He's had an incredible career. I remember when I first visited NXT, coming from the NFL, somebody pointed him out, like, 'That's Kevin Owens.' I forgot what his name was on the Indies. They pointed him out and physically to me, I said, 'That's your biggest star?'"
Tino added that he eventually realized that Kevin is one of the best performers inside the squared circle:
"I was kind of like shocked at first. I was like, 'No way, no way.' And then I started researching and watching him in the ring, the way he talked. I was like, 'Wow! He is amazing at what he does. That's kind of the perfect example of don't judge a book by its cover right away. He's had an incredible career. Amazing career." (from 17:28 to 18:15)
Tino returned to WWE for a second stint in October 2020. However, he was once again released after a few months, despite looking set for a main roster call-up.
Kevin Owens has been absent from WWE programming in the last few weeks
Kevin Owens has been out of action from the company since being pulled from the 27 June edition of Raw. The Prizefighter was set to face Ezekiel with a spot in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match on the line. However, those plans were nixed after KO suffered a minor injury.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer stated on Sunday Night's Main Event podcast that Owens is doing “fine” but it will still be “weeks” before he is back.
The former Universal Champion has been a prominent figure on the Red brand in the last few months. It'll be interesting to see what storyline the creative team has in mind for his return.
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