''He has no one to blame but his own ambitions'' - Paul Heyman on why a former world champion has remained mediocre in WWE

Paul Heyman is known to be a man who doesn't mince his words. The former advocate to Brock Lesnar and current manager to Roman Reigns recently spoke about Kevin Owens on Talking Smack. He criticized the former WWE Universal Champion's ambition. Heyman also stated that Kevin Owens' legacy in WWE is that of a mediocre performer.

Heyman, who has become a legendary manager throughout his WWE career, faulted Owens for his recent failures. He said that even though he believes Owens could be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, his own ambitions have anchored him down. As Roman Reigns' special counsel, Heyman has watched closely as Owens has failed to defeat Reigns.

Heyman reflected on Owens' unsuccessful pursuit of Reigns' title on the latest episode of Talking Smack, a post-show for WWE Friday Night SmackDown. Heyman is a co-host of the program.

''I have made a New Year’s resolution, Kayla. More ambitious opponents for the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Unlike Kevin Owens, because Kevin Owens is handcuffed, pun intended, to mediocrity. Because that is what is going to be Kevin Owens’ legacy in this industry. Mediocre. He has no one to blame but his own ambitions because Kevin Owens could have been great. First ballot Hall of Famer,'' said Heyman. (h/t: Fightful)

First #Smackdown of 2021.All pretenders can stay in 2020. pic.twitter.com/oySw07Mx95

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) January 1, 2021

Paul Heyman clearly hopes to see Reigns move on from Owens and defend his title against other opponents. As the champion's manager, it makes sense why Heyman wants to see Reigns build a formidable track record as the WWE Universal Champion.

Paul Heyman says Kevin Owens is like a cockroach

Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman on WWE SmackDown

Paul Heyman further berated Kevin Owens, who recently lost to Roman Reigns in Steel Cage Match. "The Advocate" compared "The Prizefighter" to a cockroach. Heyman gave some credit to Owens' tenacity, but he also stated that his grit will bring him down.

''A legend in this industry and he messed with the wrong Big Dog and got bit. Kevin Owens just doesn’t learn. He’s the kind of cockroach that keeps surviving, but he didn’t get past this week’s SmackDown. There’s an old expression, it’s in a lot of movies, it’s on TV shows, it’s one of the best-written lines not written by me of all time and to paraphrase it, if you come at your Tribal Chief, you best not miss. Kevin Owens missed," said Heyman. (h/t: Fightful)

Owens put up a tough fight when he challenged Reigns at WWE TLC, and he followed that up with another impressive effort in a rematch on WWE SmackDown. But thanks to Jey Uso's help, Reigns emerged victorious in both matches. Given Owens' losses, it's easy to understand what Paul Heyman is saying.

.@KaylaBraxtonWWE's job isn't easy. Case and point this interview with Jey @WWEUsos & @HeymanHustle on #TalkingSmack. @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/2dj1YCcYfe

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 2, 2021