Kevin Owens Admits He Wasn't Sure If He Wanted To Continue Wrestling Last Year

Kevin Owens has had an impressive year in professional wrestling since re-signing with WWE late last year. At WrestleMania 38, he lured "Stone Cold" Steve Austin out of retirement, wrestling the WWE Hall of Famer — Austin's first match in nearly 20 years — in the main event of night one of the spectacle. Later in 2022, Owens encountered his former friend, Sami Zayn, entangling himself in an ongoing feud with The Bloodline.

Despite how successful this year turned out for him, Owens wasn't initially sold on the idea of re-signing with the company. "By Christmastime last year I knew I was sticking around, but before that, I really had no idea," told Graham Matthews of Bleacher Report.

Owens admitted he "didn't even know" if he still wanted to be in the ring at that time. "Not because I didn't enjoy being in the ring anymore, but everything was kind of up in the air," he clarified. Ultimately though, Owens made the choice to stay in WWE after receiving an "excellent offer" and the assurance that then-CEO Vince McMahon clearly wanted him to continue his tenure there. "I'm certainly glad I made it, because just this year I've experienced things I couldn't have imagined."

In previous years, Owens believes certain moments were overshadowed by his worry "about what's next," but now, Owens has a much healthier mindset toward wrestling. "I used to always want more and want bigger and worry about what's next, and I really don't do that anymore," he said. "I'm really more worried about doing good stuff and stuff people enjoy, and I'm also thinking about just enjoying everything I can enjoy."