Wrestling wasn’t just a fun pastime for Je’Von Evans as a teenager. It was a career decision. At 13-years-old, the “bouncy” prospect cut his teeth and honed his craft to become a name that could arguably go down as one of or the top flagbearers in WWE’s ” Renaissance Era” and beyond. From wrestling for “WWE NXT” for two years to signing with “WWE Raw” five days into the 2026 new year, Evans is having the time of his life.
“I wasn’t expecting none of this to happen so, so quickly,” the “Young O.G” exclaimed in his interview on “The Bootleg Kev Show.” “I thought I was going to have a couple more years…at least by 25, when I was going to start hitting Royal Rumbles and Elimination Chamber, all of that. Bro, I’ve been busting my a**, and just working as hard as I can…The hard work is paying off, but we’re just getting started.”
Of course, prior to his official call-up, Evans made appearances for “WWE SmackDown” and TNA Wrestling’s annual fall pay-per-view event, Bound for Glory,. But those did not hold a candle to being asked to wrestle on the same card as John Cena’s Farewell Match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. With butterflies in his stomach, Evans recalls the conversation he had with “The G.O.A.T.” while Cena was getting a haircut backstage.
“He gave me some notes and some pointers. He was like, ‘Hey, just remember…keep on doing you…’ It was cool to be a part of such…I was about to say monumental night for Cena,” he described.
Fast forward to this past February at the Elimination Chamber PLE (premium live event). Evans would get another big opportunity to work with another figurehead in WWE, Randy Orton. As he described, working with “The Viper” was a true test. He hopes that once Orton, more so his voices, calm down, they can hang out again.
“It was a very big test for me,” he concluded. “I think that was my first major test…It was an honor. I’m so blessed that I had that opportunity and so grateful that I got to learn under Randy. And ever since, there’s been a connection between me and him.”
Evans will make his WrestleMania debut in less than two weeks against Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Rusev, Rey Mysterio, and Penta for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, in a fatal six-way ladder match.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Bootleg Kev Show” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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