John Cena recalls his United States Championship match against Kevin Owens at the 2015 Battleground premium live event.
The match at Battleground 2015 was the third televised singles match between Cena and Owens at that time. Furthermore, the match was also the tiebreaker between the two at this time, as Owens has won the first match between the two at the Elimination Chamber premium live event, and Cena had won the second bout at the Money In The Bank event.
In a new video for WWE's YouTube channel, Cena said that his United States Championship open challenge was a way for Kevin Owens to show what he could do as a performer on a high-level stage. Cena also stated that Owens brought out the best in him.
“The theme of the US Open Challenge, for me, was for the performers to showcase what they could do. I wanted to make it a little commercial for the person challenging me because if you were to answer an open challenge, that’s kind of how I got my start. So I wanted to give the same opportunity back, and I think this was no different. Although Kevin had had great success in NXT, this was a chance for him to show what he could do as a performer, and on a high-level stage. He can do great things. He has such a library of athletic things that he can do. He very much brought the best out of me in that perspective, and I thought this was a really cool moment."
Cena went on to say that Owens feud with him was a great introduction for him to the main roster.
"The audience was wanting something new. Even me with the United States Championship is still, ‘Oh, they’re still investing in this guy. Will someone new knock him off?’ Who’s attitudinal, who you kind of don’t know what to expect on your first impression. I think all of those things together, it was the right person to do it, and the right moment in time to do it. I just think it was a situation where Kevin, as a new performer, becomes a member of the roster and goes to the absolute limit and brings the best out of me, and in tune, I kind of have him a chance to showcase what he could do, which is a whole lot, and I thought it was a very good start to the audience getting to know KO."
Elsewhere in the video, Cena said that Randy Orton was the Shawn Micheals of his generation. Fans can learn more by clicking here.
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