Former Universal Champion Kevin Owens revealed his backstage conflicts and issues with WWE’s old leadership. In 2022, Triple H became Chief Content Officer after Vince McMahon stepped away from the promotion due to a hush money scandal.
He returned to WWE briefly in 2023, but his comeback ended in early 2024 when former employee Janel Grant accused him of sexual misconduct. The lawsuit forced McMahon to resign from the board, sell his remaining shares, and step away from WWE for good.
With McMahon gone, Triple H took full control of WWE’s creative direction and introduced major changes. In recent years, fans have seen WWE’s product improve with stronger storylines, higher ratings, and increased attendance. The promotion now prioritizes long-term storytelling that connects past and present narratives.
In October, Kevin Owens had a compelling storyline when he attacked Cody Rhodes backstage. WWE leveraged social media for this storyline as fans captured the moment and shared it online, creating major buzz in a way never seen before.
With Kevin Owens recently involved in a compelling storyline, he discussed his past backstage conflicts with WWE’s old leadership over their view of fans’ intelligence.
Kevin Owens clashed with WWE’s old leadership over fan intelligence
In an interview with Adrian Hernandez of Unlikely, he was asked about how fans now seem to be rewarded for their watching long-term storylines. He stated, “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.”
He continued, “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.”
Owens praised WWE’s new leadership under Triple H for taking fans seriously. Currently, he is involved in a feud with Randy Orton, and the two are set to clash at WrestleMania 41.
