"I saw the way Vince treated him" – WWE legend on Vince McMahon getting tough with Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens feuded with Shane McMahon in a high-profile SmackDown storyline between 2017 and 2019. In a recent podcast episode, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff recalled how Vince McMahon was "really hard" on the Canadian during that time.

Bischoff briefly returned to WWE in 2019 as SmackDown's Executive Director. In October that year, Owens defeated Shane McMahon in a Ladder match on the first episode of SmackDown on FOX. He also secured wins over the blue brand's former Commissioner at Hell in a Cell 2017 and SummerSlam 2019.

On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff said he witnessed first-hand how McMahon treated Owens with tough love backstage:

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"I got fairly close to him [Kevin Owens] in WWE during his program with Shane McMahon. I was kind of in the middle of that, and at that point in time Vince was being really hard on Kevin. I mean, really hard, and Kevin was doing his absolute best to make it work, and I saw it. I saw what he was going through, and I saw the way Vince treated him." [1:09:44 – 1:10:14]

In 2017, Owens attacked Vince McMahon in a memorable SmackDown segment. The Prizefighter headbutted the former WWE Chairman before hitting him with a Superkick and a Frog Splash.

Eric Bischoff reacts to Kevin Owens' injury

On April 4, Kevin Owens announced on SmackDown that he needs to undergo neck surgery. As a result, his WrestleMania 41 match against long-term rival Randy Orton has been canceled.

Eric Bischoff feels bad for Owens but believes the 40-year-old will be "just fine" due to his strong mindset:

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"I helped as much as I could [in 2019], and I don't think I helped all that much, to be honest with you, but I tried, right? In the process of that, I got a feel for him. He's got a great family. He's close to his family and his kids. His head is so squarely on his shoulders. As horrible as this is and as bad as I feel for Kevin, I also know Kevin's gonna be just fine because his head is on straight." [1:10:17 – 1:10:42]

Owens' WrestleMania 41 replacement has not yet been announced. On April 11, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis emerged as a possible opponent for Orton at The Show of Shows.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

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