Kevin Owens Reveals Rejection of WWE Damian Priest Partnership Plan

Kevin Owens revealed on Cody Rhodes' podcast that he declined a WWE storyline during his intense feud with Roman Reigns, which would have paired him with Damian Priest as his best friend to counter The Bloodline. Owens felt the alliance was unbelievable to fans due to their contrasting characters and lack of prior interaction, describing the idea as random and not fitting the ongoing narrative. The pitch came about three weeks before Owens' Last Man Standing match at the 2021 Royal Rumble, and there was even a plan for Priest to replace Owens in that match, which Owens firmly rejected. Owens emphasized that he didn't want to insult the audience's intelligence and pointed out that despite turning down the storyline, Priest debuted on the main roster shortly after. The rejection came amid WWE's pandemic-era Thunderdome shows, which Owens described as a challenging period in his career. Owens continues to be out of action due to a neck injury sustained ahead of WrestleMania 2025, with his return date still uncertain.