Former WWE star Elias has reflected on his memorable 2018 segment with Kevin Owens in Seattle, revealing that the behind the curtain reaction was just as positive as the crowd reaction was loud.
Speaking with GOW MEDIA, Elias was asked whether he projected the intense response after mocking Seattle’s former NBA franchise, the SuperSonics, during an in-ring segment alongside Owens. Building on that, i would go out there, do my catchphrase, and say something about the town, whatever the moment was. “For months, this act—this shtick, whatever you want to call it—had been building. On the flip side I could not have predicted what happened in Seattle.”
Elias admitted he initially questioned whether the SuperSonics reference would generate the reaction WWE expected. “I actually even doubted it a little bit heading in. Beyond that, 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 expressed, ‘Oh, yeah.’”
According to Elias, the response was unlike anything he had experienced. “Sure enough, when I made the comment about the basketball team in Seattle, the reaction was beyond anything I could have anticipated. Now, as you know, it’s one of the most infamously long, powerful boos in modern WWE history.”
Elias said everyone behind the curtain was thrilled with how it played out, although the section ran significantly longer than planned. “When I got backstage afterward, we had gone well over our allotted time, which is a substantial deal on live television. You have to be highly aware of that because every 30 seconds that goes by costs money.”
Including Paul Heyman, he recalled receiving praise from WWE management. “I just remember the boss was super happy with it and shook my hand. I moreover remember Paul Heyman screaming about how awesome the moment was, saying, ‘You handled that like a main eventer. That’s how a pro does it.’”
Looking back, Elias said the moment exceeded even his own expectations. “Things were a really awesome experience all around. What's more, i can’t say it was entirely unexpected, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.”