Video summary
The video explores the origins of the long-standing feud between Kevin Owens and CM Punk, tracing it back to their days together on the independent circuit in Ring of Honor. At that time, Kevin was known as Kevin Steen and faced a specific conflict regarding his attire; he preferred wrestling in a t-shirt because he felt it better suited his "brawler" persona, whereas management, including Jim Cornette, favored singlets for athletes who appeared more physically conditioned. When CM Punk heard about Steen's insistence on wearing his shirt, he reportedly took offense to what he perceived as disrespect, instructing Steen not to wear it before a match. Despite Steen initially agreeing to comply, the situation escalated backstage after his match when he jokingly asked Punk if he was "happy now," a comment that deeply irritated Punk and led to a public confrontation in the locker room where Punk accused Steen of being disrespectful.
The narrative highlights how this incident fundamentally altered their relationship, shifting any initial respect into lasting animosity. From Kevin Owens' perspective, the conflict seemed trivial and nitpicky, stemming from a misunderstanding of egos rather than a genuine moral failing on his part. He explained that he felt uncomfortable in a singlet because it made him feel like a generic athlete rather than the street fighter he wanted to portray, a choice that even allowed him to win the Ring of Honor title while wearing shorts and a shirt against management's wishes. However, CM Punk viewed the interaction as a significant breach of respect, especially given his friendship with Colt Cabana, whom Steen had mentioned in passing. This clash of perspectives created a rift that prevented them from ever competing together in WWE, as Punk had already left the promotion by the time Owens reached the main roster.
As the story reaches its conclusion, the video draws parallels between this historical incident and their current feud over the Undisputed WWE Championship on SmackDown. The host notes how the recent promos have brought the situation full circle, with Owens maintaining his stance that Punk is overly sensitive and phony, while Punk's reaction validates his own narrative of being wronged. The analysis suggests that if Owens had reacted with physical aggression at that time in Ring of Honor, his career might have been severely damaged, but instead, he used the incident to define his character as an underdog fighting the system. Ultimately, the video posits that while Punk may have changed over the years, Owens remains consistent in his view that their conflict was never about a simple t-shirt but rather a fundamental difference in how they handled ego and respect within the wrestling business.
Read the full video transcript
What's good, y'all? It's your boy Ross,
back at it again with another video. So,
we're going to check out Kevin Owens on
CM Punk's angry reaction to his T-shirt
backstage. Now, we're going back in
time, back when he wasn't called Kevin
Owens. He was called Kevin Steen on the
independent scene. And I'm believing
this took place when they were in ROH
together. And it's funny that we're
checking this out now because they've
kind of brought it full circle
um when you think about it on SmackDown
since now they're feuding for the WWE
Undisputed Championship. They've been
kind of talking about why they've never
liked each other.
Um they've never really been cool like
that. Uh at one point it was uh some
respect there and then a certain
incident happened and then that respect
kind of went out the door. And for Kevin
Owens' perspective, he's never really
been a big fan of CM Punk afterwards
after this situation. So, we're going to
check this out and I find it very funny
that this clip is actually it was
uploaded maybe a few days ago, like
maybe uh last week right when they were
starting up their feud. So, I find this
very funny. And we can definitely kind
of see
how his perspective was and how it kind
of translated to the promos they've been
dropping on each other these past couple
weeks. It's It's funny. This has
been in the making. I mean, this is a a
feud that's been brewing and they've
never actually fought in WWE because
when Kevin Owens finally got to the main
roster, CM Punk was already gone. So,
we're going to check this out.
Appreciate all the love and support.
Let's get right into a old older clip of
uh well, older clip but younger Kevin
Steen, man.
>> When I was originally going to be booked
in Ring of Honor, Gabe told me, "Well,
you wrestle in a T-shirt. That's the
only thing I don't like." I'm like,
"Well, I guess I could wrestle in a
singlet." Cuz even back then, I wasn't
as big as as now.
So, uh but I wasn't ripped or anything,
but you know, I was not I had no problem
wrestling in a singlet. I just didn't
think I guess I didn't think I
I think that the t-shirt look just
looked better on me. That's all it is. I
find the singlet just kind of look
generic and
>> Not going to lie to you.
The t-shirt look does look better on
Kevin Owens.
It just It kind of fits his vibe. Yeah,
he's not the most physically impressive,
but the guy still able to go out there
and give you a great match and it just
fits him. Not everybody can pull that
off. It just I don't know. It's just the
t-shirt vibe fits him. Him in a singlet
just looks kind of
like you said, it would look generic. A
bigger guy in a singlet and we've seen
that before, but him in a t-shirt, I
don't know. It just kind of works in my
personal opinion. What y'all think?
>> Whatever.
So, I wrestled in the Ring of Honor a
couple shows without my shirt and
whatever and then I could see that it
wasn't really working. Like not and I
it's stupid. Like I don't think the fact
that I was wrestling in a singlet was
responsible for it not working,
but I had a hard time feeling like
myself out there.
And now that I even the way I'm talking
about it now, I think it it was stupid
that I felt that way. Like it's dumb now
that I know better,
but I told him like, "Hey, can I just
wear my shirt? What does it matter?" And
he's like, "Yeah, fine. Whatever." for
the next show.
And then before that show, I guess Punk
heard of this and he really had
something against a guy wrestling in his
t-shirt.
And me and Punk weren't friends or
anything, but we were, you know, we knew
each other. It was fine.
And I I guess he took exception to me
wrestling in the shirt. So, he told me
before the show not to wear the shirt.
And I had already decided that I wasn't
going to wear it, but you know, when he
told me that, I'm like, "Well, I
definitely shouldn't wear the shirt."
And I didn't. And then when I got to the
back after my match,
uh I was I don't know what happened,
man. I I was blown up. So, maybe it
seemed like it came off really rude, but
I wasn't trying to be rude.
Punk was looking at me, and I looked at
him, and I said, "Are you happy now?"
But, I was really just
>> And this is kind of some of the things
that they talked about this past
SmackDown of their interaction in the
locker room and how things kind of got
intense. [clears throat]
And that's kind of crazy when you think
about it, where he comes back there and
like, "You happy now?" It It definitely
gives vibes of real
glass cry me a river, and it just set CM
Punk off. So, you can kind of tell this
has been CM Punk's like That's just how
he is. Certain things will just set him
off. And the fact that "You're happy
now?"
>> [laughter]
>> That conversation that that comment
turned into CM Punk going off on Kevin
Owens is kind of crazy, bro.
>> [laughter]
>> I was trying to kind of kid around with
him, but he really took exception to
that, and
reamed me out in front of the whole
locker room about how disrespectful I
was, and this and that.
>> Yep.
>> And whatever. I mean, I yelled back a
little, and then I realized what the
am I doing? This isn't my place.
I'm new here, and he's, you know, he's a
top guy. I shouldn't be arguing with
him.
Plus
>> And he talked about it in the promo. He
was like, "Man, I wanted to say some
stuff. I wanted to punch you in the
face, but I realized you were the top
guy at that point. So, I couldn't."
So, it It's funny he's talking about
this, and then they kind of incorporate
it into the promo this past weekend, but
once again,
>> [clears throat]
>> I like CM Punk, but I can admit the
faults, and that does seem really
nitpicky to just blow up over it. I I
don't know why he took offense to it,
whatever the case may be, but it does
seem a little nitpicky to kind of get
really upset off of just him, you know,
coming back there. See, you know, maybe
he just viewed it He viewed it probably
as disrespect like this young guy, this
new guy coming in here talking to me
like that. You know how egos can get
involved in these situations. I don't
know if it was that big of a deal.
Doesn't really seem that much from Kevin
Owens' perspective, but CM Punk viewed
him saying that is
How HOW COULD YOU?
>> [laughter]
>> COLT WAS MY FRIEND and him and Punk are
friends. I don't want any of this
So I said, "Okay, you're right. I'm
sorry." You know, I apologize, whatever.
And that's all it stayed. That's the way
it stayed, but then
that always, you know,
resonated in my head like, "Don't wear
the T-shirt." All this That was
always such a problem.
>> Mhm.
>> And yet and here I am.
I uh when I came back to Ring of Honor,
I decided I was going to be completely
different. And, you know, I wrestled in
Ring of Honor in a singlet for years.
But when I came back, I I
thought to myself, "I'll be damned if
I'm just one of the guys
wrestling in a singlet or in trunks."
>> Mhm.
>> I'm going to wear my shirt. I'm
going to wear shorts. I'm going to look
like I'm going in for a street fight
every single time I wrestle because
>> Yeah.
>> this is what I'm here for. I'm here to
fight the whole world. I'm not here to
wrestle them.
So that's my thing and that's my logic.
And it was also
part of, you [clears throat] know, Jim
Cornett wants
wrest like the you know, Ring of Honor
to be represented by athletes and you
know, you associate that with guys that
are in great shape and the you know, the
nice gear and the you know, professional
>> And we've always heard about Jim
Cornett's ideas, well, opinions of Kevin
Owens. He always thought he was a great
worker and stuff, but he just felt like
he wasn't in the best of physical shape.
So that was his only thing that kind of
was a a knock for Jim Cornett's eyes in
the in in Jim Cornett's eyes. And to be
honest, he's not the most in-shape
person. He's not. But, guess what? He's
one of the few that, even though he's
not in shape, he goes out there and
you would be surprised the moves he's
pulling off. His character works so
well. He's a brawler. He's a brawler.
He's like
even though Stone Cold was, you know, in
much more shape, Stone Cold ultimately
end up becoming more of a brawler and it
worked for him. He wasn't just super,
super ripped up and lean like that. He
became more of a brawler, especially
after injuries, you know, piled up. And
the same thing with Kevin Owens. He's a
brawler. He's not going to be abbed and
ab chiseled in stone and and things like
that. Even though he has lost weight
since him coming back, he's not that
guy. He's more of a Like he said,
t-shirt, shorts, I'm here to beat the
crap out of you. And guess what?
It works for him. It works for his
character.
>> Well, what can you And I I want to be
the emphasis of that. I don't want to be
that because that's what Jim likes and I
don't want to be something Jim likes.
So, that's uh you know, that was my
logic between wrestling and
I took it to a step further. I used to
wrestle just in a shirt and a singlet
and I
put shorts on, too, now. So,
and I still won the Ring of Honor title
wearing that when I had been told in the
past not to wear a shirt.
Well, I did it wearing sh- a shirt and
shorts. So, I guess that says something
about
fighting the system a little bit and it
worked out for me. So, uh like I said, I
don't think my weight or my look has
been an obstacle, really, cuz I overcame
whatever obstacle it could have been.
Uh obviously now,
if I want to go forward and keep going
up in wrestling, I have to make uh
decisions and I have to make sacrifices
and whether I will make them or not is
still up in the air, to be honest. I
don't know.
>> That's crazy, man.
>> We'll see where life takes me.
>> That's crazy. It
It's It's funny
how
this, you know, him being so young at
this point and then
finally getting to WWE and, you know,
getting to that that moment where he is
right now, you know, multiple time
champion, beat John Cena on their very
first match. Like Like they were really
pushing this guy and he's still one of
the top guys in the card. So,
like just to see this in a in a bubble
of how far he's come and and where he is
now, I think that's actually pretty
amazing, man.
>> Colt Cabana.
>> Okay, and I think they're going to start
talking about Colt Cabana and other
situations, other stories.
But, I definitely wanted to check this
out just for the CM Punk aspect because
you can kind of compare what he said in
the promo this past Friday and how he
felt many years ago. I think this is
just kind of interesting how this is all
come full circle. And it does put
some type of
uh
credence to Punk is skin all.
And I don't [clears throat] know if he's
like that now, maybe he has changed,
who's know. Who knows? I'm not sure.
But, it does add a little bit of
credence to the idea that Punk
he he he be having his sensitive
moments. He do be having his sensitive
moments, moments where it's like
I can understand you feeling some type
of way, but then it blows up. Like
even though
uh Jack Perry did the spot with the real
glass and it was a shot at CM Punk and
that shouldn't have been done and other
people in management should have been
ahead of that. Him going backstage and
just ready to square up
considering
everything that's happened prior to, I
don't think that was the best route to
go. It just wasn't. You You're not so
They could have a conversation,
something, but squaring up immediately
was not the route to go. It just It just
wasn't. And this whole situation with
him
and wearing a shirt and Kevin Owens
basically
on some, you know, real glass type
vibes, are you happy now? Basically in
the same type of situation
him turning up on him. You know,
probably calling him out his name and
all this other stuff. And if Kevin Owens
or Kevin Steen in the you know, what he
went by in the independent scene, if he
would have turned up and attacked him,
I'm pretty sure there's a good chance we
probably don't see him in WWE.
There's a very good chance that could
have hurt his career. So,
like I said, I don't know if things have
changed. This is the story that they're
telling right now. Kevin Owens feel like
he hasn't changed. There's no change in
him. It's all a facade. He's phony.
It may be CM Punk asked. I don't know,
but it was cool to see a young Kevin
Owens talking about this and and how far
he's come and where he is now in
professional wrestling. One He's going
to go down as one of the greats to ever
do it, man. But hey, comment down below.
Let me know some other wrestling related
videos you guys want me to check out. I
definitely will. I appreciate all the
love and support you guys show on the
channel. Road to 20K. Appreciate y'all
kicking it with me. See you in the next
one. Peace.