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Kevin Owens’ WrestleMania Idea Was Shot Down By Vince McMahon

By John Canton • Published 7th April 2025
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Kevin Owens had an elaborate WrestleMania idea that he thought could work well, but Vince McMahon didn’t think so.

It was announced by former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens that he’ll be out of action for a significant amount of time due to a serious neck injury that will require surgery.

While Owens could miss up to a year or more of in-ring action, he is optimistic that he’ll be able to wrestle again in the future.

At WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, Owens was scheduled to face his rival Randy Orton in a huge grudge match. Orton made it clear that he wanted to deliver a Punt to Owens’ head in retaliation for Owens delivering a Package Piledriver to Orton last November. Instead, Orton won’t get any revenge on Owens due to the injury.

During an appearance on “My Mom’s Basement” with Robbie Fox podcast, Kevin Owens recalled his first WrestleMania as a wrestler at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 in Dallas. Owens was in a seven-man Ladder match for the Intercontinental Title. Owens told a story about how he had an idea fora special entrance at the show, but former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon didn’t like it.

“The first year, [my] first WrestleMania, I pitched to Vince [McMahon], ‘What if the live band is playing my music but when I come out, I’m looking at them and I just start smashing all the instruments because they are taking the spotlight off of me?’

He goes, ‘That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you bring them here to play your music and then smash their instruments?’ I go, ‘No, I think people will assume that WWE had them and I did…’ He goes, ‘Why would you be mad they’re playing your music?’ ‘I have to share the stage with them.’ ‘No.’ ‘Okay.’”

Kevin Owens Tried To Get An Elaborate WrestleMania Entrance During A Main Event Match

The main event of WrestleMania 39 Saturday saw Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn beat The Usos to win the WWE Tag Team Titles in a spectacular main event match. It was the first time that the Tag Team Titles were in the main event of WrestleMania.

Before that night’s match, Owens talked to WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque about getting Owens & Zayn a special entrance.

“The other was WrestleMania 39 in LA. Me and Sami [Zayn] are in the ring during the afternoon, looking at everyone’s entrances and they are rehearsing all these crazy entrances and we’re like, ‘We’re in the main and we don’t have anything. Maybe we can come from the crowd or something.’

We tell Triple H, ‘Everyone has these crazy entrances and we don’t have anything.’ He goes, ‘You guys don’t need anything.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘You guys are just gritty. You’re not the kind of guys who would have these big elaborate entrances.’ ‘Alright, can we come out from the crowd?’ He looks around, ‘Look around, where are you going to come from? It’s going to take forever.’ I go, ‘Yeah, I guess that’s true.’ One day I’ll get (the big entrance).”

A clip of KO’s neck injury announcement can be seen below.

H/T Fightful