In his second WarGames match at WWE Survivor Series, Kevin Owens paid tribute to the late, great Dusty Rhodes.
The former WWE Universal Champion competed in the match alongside Sheamus, Drew McIntrye, Ridge Holland, and Butch against The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn), but the babyface team fell short.
Owens was dressed in a Dusty Rhodes shirt and red elbow pads in tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer who invented the WarGames concept.
Owens discussed the tribute on WWE After The Bell because he had the opportunity to work with Dusty in NXT. He revealed that before the fight, he asked Cody Rhodes if he could honor him.
“It was a real thrill to be part of it when I did the one in NXT, just because it was great to be part of something Dusty created. To be part of the first one on the main roster, to have the opportunity to wear Dusty’s shirt and the red elbow pads as a tribute to him, I talked to Cody (Rhodes) beforehand to make sure he was cool with it and everything. It’s always neat to tie back to history and give Dusty a little nod, I try to do that as much as I can because he was so influential in my career. I really had access to him for a very short time, maybe ten months, between the time I started in NXT and the time he passed. In those ten months, he really left a mark on me that nobody has. I’ve known people for years in this industry and they haven’t had half the influence on me that Dusty had in that short time. Anytime I get to do something as a little shoutout to him, I take that opportunity.”
You can listen to the complete podcast below:
(H/T to Fightful for the transcription)
