Kevin Owens Explains WWE Hall Of Famers’ SmackDown Rejection
Kevin Owens has revealed why two WWE Hall of Famers refused to be his partner on SmackDown.
On September 13th, SmackDown returned to the USA Network and to mark the occasion, multiple WWE Hall of Famers made appearances throughout the show. These included the likes of Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Teddy Long, and Michael PS Hayes.
The show also saw Kevin Owens looking for a partner to take on Grayson Waller and Austin Theory in tag team action. When it came time for the match, KO unexpectedly took to the ring with a local wrestler named ‘Ricky.’ The star explained that his original partner hadn’t been able to make it due to travel issues.
However, it wasn’t to be Ricky’s night as a member of the production team let Owens know that his real partner had arrived. As soon as he heard the news, Owens dropped Ricky with a Stunner, clearing the way for Randy Orton to take his place and the two went on to defeat A-Town Down Under.
In a video on Instagram, Owens revealed to Orton that Ricky was far from his first choice of partner, but he had been turned down by the veterans in attendance. KO said he asked Booker T, but the former World Heavyweight Champion was still unhappy with the comments he made about Texas during his feud with Steve Austin, it seems the NXT announcer “holds a grudge.”
Owens also tried to get RVD in his corner, but the star told him he was already “on another planet.” While Owens didn’t understand the comment, Orton said he did. In fact, The Viper explained that he was still on that other planet, inside Orton’s bus. Ricky then joined the duo and after Owens apologised for his actions earlier in the night, the three headed off to join Van Dam in the bus.
Who Is Ricky? Kevin Owens’ Tag Team Partner Revealed
Following SmackDown, reports revealed the identity of Kevin Owens’ original partner Ricky. His name is Ricky Gibson and he is a 19-year veteran of the independent scene. Ricky currently wrestles as one-half of the Midnight Heat tag team alongside Eddie Pearl.
Ricky is due for another big match soon as Midnight Heat are set to take on AEW stars FTR on September 29th in Prestige Wrestling.