Kevin Owens was noticeably absent from WrestleMania 35, which took place on April 7, 2019 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. As one of WWE’s top stars, his absence left many fans wondering why he didn’t participate in “The Showcase of the Immortals.” There are a few possible explanations for why Kevin Owens missed WrestleMania 35.
He Was Dealing With Injuries
The most logical reason why Kevin Owens was not on the WrestleMania 35 card is that he was out of action at the time due to injuries. Owens has been open about dealing with nagging injuries throughout his WWE career, including issues with his knees, back, shoulders, and ankles. His hard-hitting style in the ring has often resulted in wear and tear over time.
In the lead up to WrestleMania 35, reports suggested Owens was dealing with multiple injuries that needed time to heal. He was written off WWE television in late 2018 after sustaining a legitimate knee injury during a match. While he returned for a brief angle in early 2019, he was soon absent from shows again to recover. It’s likely his injuries were significant enough to keep him sidelined through WrestleMania season.
Notable Injuries
Here is a look at some of Kevin Owens’ more notable injuries over the years:
Date | Injury | Notes |
---|---|---|
March 2015 | Knee | Needed surgery, missed around 3 months |
May 2016 | Shoulder | Torn rotator cuff, missed 1 month |
October 2017 | Knee | Missed 2 months after knee surgery |
October 2018 | Knee | Required surgery, misses over 6 months |
As this history shows, knee problems in particular have plagued Owens, requiring multiple surgeries and extended periods on the sidelines. His knee likely was the main reason he couldn’t compete at WrestleMania 35.
He Didn’t Have a Major Storyline
Another reason Kevin Owens may have been left off the WrestleMania card is that he wasn’t involved in a marquee storyline on the Road to WrestleMania. In the months before WWE’s biggest show of the year, Owens didn’t seem a priority creatively.
After feuding with Bobby Lashley and losing an Intercontinental Championship match to Dean Ambrose in late 2018, Owens was directionless early in 2019. He had a brief program with The New Day and Vince McMahon where he was “fired” from WWE in storyline. However, the storyline fizzled out when Owens needed time off due to injury. With no strong storyline plans for him, keeping Owens out of action through WrestleMania 35 made sense.
Recent WrestleMania Matches
Here are Kevin Owens’ matches at the previous three WrestleManias before his absence in 2019:
Year | Match |
---|---|
2016 | 7-man Intercontinental Ladder Match |
2017 | Vs. Chris Jericho for the US Title |
2018 | Vs. Sami Zayn and Shane McMahon with Daniel Bryan |
As you can see, Owens was consistently featured on the WrestleMania card in marquee matches before disappearing from the event in 2019. Without a proper storyline going into WrestleMania season, WWE likely didn’t have a spot for him.
Other Top Stars Were Being Spotlighted
With only a few matches able to make up the WrestleMania card each year, WWE has to choose who it wants to spotlight in those top spots. In 2019, several other full-time stars were put in priority positions for WrestleMania 35, likely leaving no room for Kevin Owens.
Major names like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston were all featured in huge matches. Other prominent stars like AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and The Miz also had prominent spots. With Owens injured and lacking direction, it made him an odd man out among the active roster members WWE wanted to push at WrestleMania.
Top Matches at WrestleMania 35
Here are some of the major matches featuring top stars at WrestleMania 35:
Match |
---|
Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair |
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar |
Triple H vs. Batista |
Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan |
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre |
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton |
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz |
With all these major stars competing in huge matches, it’s understandable why there wasn’t a spot for Kevin Owens even if he had been healthy.
He May Have Opted to Sit Out
One other potential factor in Kevin Owens’ absence from WrestleMania 35 is that he may have voluntarily decided not to be part of the show. While Owens has always been painted as someone who is passionate about the wrestling business, he has shown signs of being willing to take stands for his beliefs.
If Owens wasn’t happy with the creative direction or match WWE proposed for him at WrestleMania, it’s possible he chose to sit out instead. He may have felt missing WrestleMania altogether would be better than being put in an underwhelming match or angle.
Times Kevin Owens Has Sat Out
Here are a few instances where Kevin Owens seemingly chose not to be part of a WWE show:
Year | Reason |
---|---|
2018 | Missed live events after creative frustration |
2019 | Refused to go on WWE’s tour of Saudi Arabia |
2020 | Sat out months of TV over creative disputes |
Based on things like this, it’s not implausible that WrestleMania 35 was another time Owens put his foot down about doing something he wasn’t fully on board with.
Conclusion
In the end, Kevin Owens likely missed WrestleMania 35 due to some combination of being injured, not having a strong storyline direction, other top stars being prioritized for the card, and possibly not agreeing creatively on how he would be used at the event. Whatever the exact reasons, his absence was clearly noticeable as someone that could have added value to WrestleMania if featured.
Owens ended up returning to WWE programming in May after WrestleMania and was soon slotted back regularly into major storylines. He clearly remained someone that WWE still had plans for long-term. But WrestleMania 35 happened to be one event where the timing wasn’t right for Owens to be part of the show. Over the next couple years, he would again be featured in marquee matches at WrestleMania once healthy and involved in more prominent programs.