Total kayfabe. Unless he's changed since he signed with the WWE.
When he was just regular old Steen, he was routinely known as one of the nicest people out there and when a friend of mine told me a story about meeting him a few times, it totally sealed the deal for me.
I'll copy and paste parts of the blog my buddy wrote on him after Steen's last indy show. THIS is the reason I will root for him. Forever.
"I love professional wrestling. This is no secret. I have a passion for wrestling that would rival and trump the way most people feel about their favorite sports teams. I have used my vacation time for the past two years to go to Wrestlemania. I have had interesting interactions with wrestlers on camera and a few even recognize me. In short, I love wrestling.
That being said, Kevin Steen is my favorite active wrestler and one of my all-time top five favorite wrestlers. His charisma, mic skills, in-ring talent, and everything else make him stand out. When I first started to get into Ring of Honor a few years ago, he was one of the first guys I got into. I legitimately mark out for him in a way that I do few others. I have been seen at many shows rabidly chanting " KILL, STEEN, KILL!" I have had the honor of meeting him several times, to the point where he was able to recognize me at shows. When he took and destroyed my Mike Bennett sign at Final Battle 2013 is one of my favorite wrestling stories to tell.
Last night, I drove my friend and I to New York to see Steen's last indy match, which happened to be against Jerry " The King" Lawler. I saw him before the show, had what I thought was my last picture with him, thanked him for all that he's done, and wished him luck working with the orphans in Mexico ( although some have spread the rumor that he's heading to the WWE, I prefer to believe that he's going to help his friend, El Generico). I thought that would be that.
During the main event, I turned around to see Steen doing commentary. I waited until after the match and went up for one last picture. I once again thanked him and told him that whatever he ended up doing, he'd be a success, because he was a good person. I decided to ask if there was any way I could buy his shirt that he wore in his last match. He didn't even blink as he said, " After all the support you've given me over the years, you've earned this. It's all yours."
He then proceed to give me the shirt off of his back.
My favorite wrestler proceeded to give me the shirt he wore in his last indy match right off of his back.
I told him I didn't have words to convey what this meant and asked if I could hug him, which he did without hesitation. After I dropped my friend off, I teared up a little in the car, as I couldn't believe what just happened to me. This is seriously one of my most treasured possessions and I plan to get it professionally framed this week. I'm still trying to let it all soak in."
He has this with a photo of him and Steen from that last indy show and when I read it, I thought "Yeah. This is my dude now. I'm cheering for him forever."