Elias reveals the backstage reaction to his Seattle SuperSonics segment with Kevin Owens
While speaking with GOW MEDIA, former WWE star Elias reflected on his 2018 segment with Kevin Owens in Seattle, Washington. Elias was asked whether he expected the intense crowd reaction after the two mocked the city’s former NBA team, the Seattle SuperSonics, and what the backstage reaction was once they returned behind the curtain…
“For months, this act—this shtick, whatever you want to call it—had been building. I would go out there, do my catchphrase, and say something about the town, whatever it was. But I could not have predicted what happened in Seattle.
I actually even doubted it a little bit heading in. There was a writer there, Kaz—I don’t know if you know him, awesome guy. I remember him telling me, ‘Oh, this line is going to hit.’ I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ He said, ‘Oh, yeah.’
Sure enough, when I made the comment about the basketball team in Seattle, the reaction was beyond anything I could have expected. Now, as you know, it’s one of the most infamously long, powerful boos in modern WWE history.
When I got backstage afterward, we had gone well over our allotted time, which is a big deal on live television. You have to be very aware of that because every 30 seconds that goes by costs money.
I just remember the boss was super happy with it and shook my hand. I also remember Paul Heyman screaming about how awesome it was, saying, ‘You handled that like a main eventer. That’s how a pro does it.’
It was a really awesome experience all around. I can’t say it was completely unexpected, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.”