WWE’s Kevin Owens on modern wrestling: ‘I don’t get it’

The physical hurdles Kevin Owens overcame to return to WWE at SummerSlam are obvious. The mental hurdles, however, were also daunting. 

Owens discussed his neck surgery and comeback with Sam Roberts on WWE’s SummerSlam recap. After detailing what his recovery was like, Owens talked about how the business changed in his time away. 

“As I watched, I thought, ‘Maybe I don’t know what this is anymore,’” Owens said. “Maybe I don’t have the mind for it.’ I don’t know. And quite frankly, I’d watch the show and go, ‘Man, people love this. I don’t get it.’” Owens then laughed before adding, “So maybe this has passed me by.”

Owens went 16 months in between matches, and during that time he questioned whether his body would let him perform alongside the younger generation of wrestlers.

“I’m 42 years old,” Owens said. “We got the guys like Oba [Femi], Trick [Williams]. The younger guys are coming up. I’m not that no more. Can I do sh*t I used to do? I don’t know. I don’t even know if I can run the ropes yet. … Before my surgery, running the ropes was an arduous task. It was difficult.”