JBL recalls Vince McMahon "changing his mind" about Kevin Owens in WWE

Kevin Owens debuted on WWE's main roster in 2015 when Vince McMahon oversaw RAW and SmackDown's creative direction. John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) recently gave an insight into how his former boss changed his mind about The Prizefighter.

During his 40-year tenure as WWE boss, McMahon was known for selecting wrestlers with impressive physiques as World Champions. In 2016, he bucked the trend by choosing Owens as the next Universal Champion after Finn Balor suffered a shoulder injury at SummerSlam.

JBL said on the Something to Wrestle podcast that Owens proved to McMahon how good he is:

"That was under Vince that he first became champion. That was Vince changing his mind. That tells you how good Kevin Owens is. Kevin Owens is not a Vince guy, as far as the body shape. Vince liked the great big guys, especially to be champion." [21:43 – 21:57]

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Owens won several titles during McMahon's creative regime, including the Intercontinental and United States Championships. He also headlined the first night of WrestleMania 38 against Stone Cold Steve Austin.

JBL never expected Kevin Owens to win a WWE world title

In 2004, John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Eddie Guerrero at The Great American Bash to win the WWE Championship. Brock Lesnar, Edge, and John Cena also held the company's most prestigious title during that era.

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Based on Vince McMahon's past booking of WWE Champions, JBL did not rate Owens' chances of capturing a major title:

"Kevin's such a good worker and such a good promo. He's a smart guy, and Vince made him champion. Vince would have never thought when he saw him, 'This guy's gonna be my champion,' and I would have thought this is not something Vince is going to have. Vince loved him, obviously. He made him champion. That tells you a lot about Kevin Owens." [22:00 – 22:20]

In 2017, Owens attacked McMahon during a memorable SmackDown segment. The storyline led to a match between KO and Shane McMahon at Hell in a Cell, where Shane jumped off the top of the steel structure.

Please credit Something to Wrestle and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart