Shortly before Vince McMahon was finally forced out of WWE, there were rumblings that Kevin Owens was considering reuniting with his old friends, The Young Bucks, in AEW.
Things have changed since Triple H took over and while McMahon frequently booked KO high up the card, The Game has put the former Universal Champion front and centre in much better storylines (the angle with Elias was good for a few laughs, but his feuds with Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and now Randy Orton have been next level).
During a recent interview with Adrian Hernandez, Owens addressed the "big shift" he's since seen in WWE since Triple H took over and reflected on clashing with McMahon over storytelling continuity.
"It’s definitely been a shift in mindset from people at the top. Our fans are smart and watch our product and pay attention and remember things, and can remember things a lot better than other people that were in charge before thought they would because I guess they didn’t remember half the stuff we did. The fans do because the fans care and pay attention to what we do."
"I had arguments with the people in charge before. 'No, this happened three weeks ago, they’re going to remember.' They said, 'No, they won’t.' 'Yes, they will. You’re insulting their intelligence by pretending they won’t.'"
"Obviously, Triple H does not think like that. He knows fans remember and he applies it and uses it. It makes the product way better, in my opinion. When I was a kid watching, when I was 12, 13, 14, even though I was just a kid, I watched it and remembered everything. When The Sultan showed up, I knew it was [Rikishi]. Why is he The Sultan? Our fans are smart. It’s great to see the product leaning into that now."
It's no secret that Vince would frequently arrive at RAW and SmackDown, only to immediately tear up the script and still be writing the show while it was on the air. It also became the norm for advertised matches not to happen and for storylines to just be forgotten.
Heading into WrestleMania, Owens is set to face The Viper in a grudge match after previously putting him on the shelf for several months with a piledriver. It's one of the Show of Show's most highly anticipated matches and another showcase for the Prizefighter's talents.
You can watch the full interview with Owens in the player below.