Kevin Owens has always been one of the more outspoken superstars on the WWE roster. Be it while cutting promos, in the ring or during commentary, KO can rip a person apart with his words. Just ask Byron Saxton if you don’t believe me.
Owens was recently interviewed by Sky Sports during a promotion event for SummerSlam. He took the opportunity to shower praise on “the demon”, Finn Balor.
On Balor’s call-up to the main roster, Owens said that it was long overdue. But he acknowledged the fact that it was necessary for Balor to stay at NXT for as long as he did.
Owens said, "When Finn, myself and Hideo Itami started there, the brand was definitely on the rise - not just because of us, let me make that clear, but because every performer and coach, plus the management team, were working so hard to make it something pretty special. Then Hideo and Zayn got hurt, and myself and Neville got called to the main roster, so without Finn I don't know whether NXT would have reached the level it has today - you always need one guy to hitch your wagon to and he was that guy.
“The NXT family and fans waited for Finn's NXT experience to end, but week after week, Finn was the mainstay in that company. Fandom grew, merchandise was sold and a superstar was born.
"Everybody there works so hard to make it into something, but you always kind of need one person to hitch your wagon to," Owens said. "Finn was the guy for it. It was pretty obvious he was -- look at how big NXT has become, and now look at how Finn did on his first night on RAW.”
Balor was the fifth overall pick for RAW. He was coming off a memorable NXT title reign of 292 days, the longest in history. He made an impact on his very first night when he earned a WWE Universal Championship shot against Seth Rollins at Summerslam by pinning Roman Reigns. Not a bad gift for your 35th birthday.
Owens went on to say that it was an incredible achievement for Balor to be in the main event of Summerslam. “So it makes sense they kept him as long as they could. Who wouldn't want to have Finn Balor on their roster for as long as possible?,“ Owen said.
Owens was part of a truly talent-filled NXT roster during his tenure, and the dedication of the team was on full display with each and every call-up. Owens had lost the NXT title to Balor at WWE Network Special in Japan last July ending his 143-day long reign.
