WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin recently addressed Kevin Owens' neck injury during an appearance on The Takedown on SI this week, calling him a Hall of Fame-level talent and revealing he personally reached out to Owens after learning about the injury.
I called Kevin a couple of months ago," Austin said. "He's got a great doctor. I care about the guy, love the guy. He's a Hall of Fame talent.
Austin also shared a story about a chance encounter with Owens roughly 25 years ago at an airport, when he spotted the then-young wrestler and offered him a piece of advice that proved prescient.
I remember meeting him in the airport 20, 25 years ago — I'd seen him work — and I told him, 'Hey kid, you don't need to worry about all those fancy moves. You need to learn how to talk,'" Austin said. "And of course he did, and he's great.
Dealing With Injuries
Austin, who had his own career derailed by a serious neck injury, drew on personal experience when reflecting on Owens' situation.
It's a rough business. No matter what style you work, you're going to take a bump. Even the most simple bump can be the devastating one — it's the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.
Austin also spoke candidly about the psychological toll of being sidelined, something he experienced firsthand when a neck fusion forced him to step away from in-ring competition.
When I got my neck fused, I had to stop watching for a while," he said.
"You're frustrated, you want to get back out there, everybody else is thriving. You want the business to be great, but there is that selfish part — that competitive part of you. It's like, 'I should be out there and I ain't.'
Owens announced in April last year that he would be stepping away from the ring due to a neck injury. There is currently no public timeline for his return to WWE programming.
