'It's Surreal': Kevin Owens Explains Why Teaming With John Cena Means So Much For Him

John Cena has had a WWE match every single year of his 20-year career except this one, but he plans to right that wrong on the final televised WWE show of 2022, this Friday’s episode of SmackDown. Last Friday night on SmackDown in Chicago, Cena surprisingly confirmed that he will team with Kevin Owens to take on the team of Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a star-studded main event that is fitting to close out the year. Owens joined the TMZ Sports yesterday where he talked about how excited he is for the match as well as why the moment is so special for him. 

For one, Owens' first opponent on the main roster was Cena, so to team with him surely stirs up memories of that pivotal moment. Another interesting connection: Owens’ son’s favorite wrestler is Cena.

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"I started with John when I came to WWE, and now he's going to be my partner against Sami [and Roman]. Me and Sami have had so much history in WWE, let alone our entire careers so to be in that kind of situation now together, it's all just so surreal. I'm just grateful for the chance to experience that stuff."

KO’s WWE name was inspired by his now 15-year-old son, Owen, who will be in Tampa Bay to watch his father team with Cena, a 16-time World Champion.

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"Me and my son will always have a little bond over John Cena. My son, as he was growing up, was a huge John Cena fan. When I signed my WWE contract, I told my son, 'Maybe I'll get to fight John Cena one day’, and then I did. He's still excited that John's coming around. It's a cool little thing to share with my son anytime John's involved. My son likes WWE but is not an avid fan like I was growing up. It’s just a neat little thing,” Owens enthusiastically explained. 

If you're itching for some nostalgia, you can rewatch Kevin Owens defeat John Cena at Elimination Chamber 2015 in his WWE main roster debut on the WWE Network on Peacock.

You can also catch WWE Raw Mondays at 8/7c on USA Network, and WWE NXT on Tuesdays at 8/7c. And watch more WWE content on Peacock now.