Backstage News On Kevin Steen's WWE NXT Debut

Kevin Steen's new NXT ring name Kevin Owens is indeed a tribute to the late Owen Hart, who Steen named his son Owen after. We noted that Steen recently filmed vignettes for his NXT TV debut and that he's expected to debut at either Takeover on December 11th or the TV tapings on December 12th. Steen also did an individual work-out in front of Triple H a few weeks back.

Leaders of the new school: Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Adrian Neville, Fergal Devitt and Kevin Steen talk to WWE.com about their generation

In August, NXT sensation Sami Zayn sent out a tweet that, in precisely 140 characters, at once gave hope, elicited excitement and put the sports-entertainment world on notice.

Talking 'bout my g-g-g-generation! @FightSteenFight @WWENeville @fergaldevitt @KENTAK312 @WWEDanielBryan @WWECesaro @WWERollins. Change=now.

— Sami Zayn (@iLikeSamiZayn) August 12, 2014

Some 3,000-plus favorite tweets and retweets later and the buzz surrounding “Zayn’s generation” — let’s call it WWE’s new New Generation — has only intensified. As WWE fans await the in-ring debuts of international Superstars Fergal Devitt and the wrestler formerly known as KENTA, Hideo Itami, and independent wrestling demigod Kevin Steen, WWE.com sat down with the NXT Five inside the place they call home — the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. — for a roundtable discussion to learn about their connections to each other inside the ring and out. Click here.

EVOLVE co-founder Gabe Sapolsky Comments on WWE NXT

History does repeat itself. I remember when ECW was shunned and ignored in the early days. Then suddenly we saw WWE and WCW embracing the principles and soon the ECW wrestlers. This ignited the biggest boom in the history of US wrestling. Yesterday, we saw some things that lit the Internet on fire because they are new and we didn't expect them. The biggest was HHH posing for a selfie with Kevin Steen, Hideo Itami and Fergal Devitt and then giving huge endorsements to Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville by tweeting that he would like to wrestle them. Kalisto as well as Zayn and Neville brought new excitement to NXT Takeover that had fans tweeting their support. This doesn't even include the impact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are making on the main roster. WWE has even included me on the The Shield documentary and Paul Heyman DVD. So what's my point? A few years ago, none of this would have happened because the talents from the independents weren't considered "major league." WWE has obviously changed it's thought process and we are hopefully at the dawn of a new era. Will it lead to a boom like in the 90s? I don't know, but I do know that it will lead to new stars and and some fresh wrestling (or sports entertainment in the WWE Universe). The most important thing is that these innovative, cutting edge talents capture the imagination of new, young fans. Given the stage WWE is providing, they can.

Photo: Triple H with Kenta, Prince Devitt and Kevin Steen

You want a selfie? #NXTTakeOver #LetTheInternetExplode @FightSteenFight @fergaldevitt @KENTAK312 pic.twitter.com/JD8FcvhXxQ

— Triple H (@TripleH) September 11, 2014

WWE Signs Kevin Steen to NXT

WWE has signed Canadian Superstar Kevin Steen to its NXT division. The burly, outspoken, Package Piledriving Quebec native, who bolts around the ring with equal parts grace and bad intentions, thrives on throwing fists and talking trash.

A 14-year veteran, Steen began training, with his parents’ approval, when he was a teenager. Possessing what no less than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has described as a “hell of an arsenal,” Steen has earned many accolades in North America and abroad, including the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor heavyweight championships. In 2013, the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him 10th on its annual list of the world’s top 500 wrestlers.

Along the way to becoming a world-class competitor, he also amassed one of the largest followings of any wrestler outside WWE, a fanbase that belts out their “Fight, Steen, fight!” mantra with pride.