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Kevin Owens revealed a bizarre story from his early days about when he was asked to referee a match between PCO and a bear.
Owens took the long road to reach WWE. It took him nearly a decade-and-a-half, and he also had guidance from veterans of the wrestling business in Canada. One such influence happens to be a 35-year-veteran PCO, who is currently signed to Impact Wrestling.
Speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, the former Universal Champion narrated a story from his early days where PCO asked him to referee a match where the veteran would be wrestling a bear. Owens said:
"Early in my career, I was the referee for a man vs bear match. PCO, who people watching this will probably know. He wrestled a bear once, and he asked me to referee, so if things went awry, I would be there to help him. Not against the bear. If things go wrong with the bear, we're all screwed. What he meant was 'what if the bear gets spooked and the trainer needs to bring him away?' We needed to save the show, which is exactly what happened."
Kevin Owens added that the bear wouldn't cooperate and refused to part:
"The bear just wouldn't take part and I completely understand, and now looking back, that's not something that ever should have happened. But now looking back, once the bear decided that he wasn't going to be a part of it, the only thing we could do was have the referee tell PCO that the match was thrown out. He got hurt, got upset, and assaults the referee like any sensible person would"
As funny as it is to read about in retrospect, something could have gone severely wrong. However, it represents the madness and unpredictability of the independent wrestling scene.
Will Kevin Owens be confronted by Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania
Kevin Owens is going to enter KOMania VI. On the road to WrestleMania this year, he hasn't been feuding with any specific superstar, but he has cut several promos taking jabs at Texas.
His anti-Texas promos have led to some negative reactions (kayfabe) from legends of the state such as Booker T and JBL. Rumors emerged that Owens was penciled in to be the return opponent of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, but those rumors have quietly died down.
It will be interesting to see what WWE has planned for Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. If not a match, expect an appearance from The Texas Rattlesnake and a confrontation at WrestleMania 38.
