Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler who performs under the ring name Kevin Owens in WWE. His journey began in 2000 at age 16, but he first made his name on the independent circuit, becoming a three-time Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) World Champion and winning the ROH World Championship. After signing with WWE in August 2014, he debuted on the main roster in May 2015 and went on to capture nine championships, including the NXT, Universal, Intercontinental, and United States titles, and became the 23rd WWE Grand Slam Champion alongside partner Sami Zayn. Owens has also headlined WrestleMania twice, cementing his status as a main-event star. Raised in Quebec, he was inspired to become a wrestler after watching a tape of WrestleMania XI and learned English by mimicking the voices of the wrestlers he saw on Monday Night Raw.