WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens is known not just for his in-ring work, but for staying in character when the cameras are on and off. However, his latest comments disparaging an older fan may have taken things a bit too far.
This week at a live event in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclay, Owens addressed the fans saying that when he defeats the current United States Champion Roman Reigns, they’ll have a United States Champion they can be proud of. He then proceeded to call an older man “grandpa” and said that he would be dead in five years.
The video came from a tweet by Nick Hirshon, who was in attendance.
— Nick Hirshon (@nickhirshon) December 29, 2016
The response on social media is somewhat split, with some fans saying it was Owens going too far, while others claiming that people were feigning outrage and that more of this is needed in wrestling.
This isn’t Owens’ first time heckling fans at house shows or saying things that people perceive negatively. Earlier this December, Owens was recorded telling a child in the audience not to touch him and never to wear any of his apparel.
The mother responded saying that her child’s heart was shattered and that his son didn’t want to watch wrestling anymore following the incident. Owens responded by mocking the woman on Twitter and claiming she was lying to get something for free.
As far as wrestlers insulting fans goes, other wrestlers have done worse. Former WWE Superstar CM Punk told fans to kill themselves several times in the past. One example was when he said that to a fan at a live event in 2009 and the other was when he defended same-sex marriage rights on twitter and told another fan to kill themselves for not agreeing with his stance.
This is but Owens second bit of social media news this week, as he was recorded heckling fans at a live event yet again and bragging about his royalties from his merchandise sales. When Reigns was caught laughing in the ring, he responded by saying his Shield merchandise did better to which Owens responded to saying that joke wasn’t his own.
Since Owens never told the fan that he was going to kill him or suggested he should kill himself, this will probably be looked at nothing more than a heel trying to get heat, by going off the rails a little bit.
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