WWE star Kevin Owens last signed a deal with the company back in 2021, and his current deal is set to expire in late 2024. The question that a lot of fans are asking is whether he will stay put or decide to make the move over to AEW.
The company was in a vastly different position when Owens re-signed back in 2021, with Vince McMahon still firmly in charge and ownership and a deal with Endeavor to merge UFC and WWE a couple of years away. It looks as though WWE is the likely destination for Owens, seeing as he decided to stay even during the doldrums of the final years of McMahon, but there are potentially signs that he could be on his way out.
What we do know right now is that WWE are indeed trying to tie down Owens to a new deal, with Fightful confirming as much on their Patreon subscription service Fightful Select:
“Specifically, WWE source tells Fightful that Kevin Owens has been approached for a new contract. We’re told that Owens has not signed a new deal as of yet, but communication has been made. His contract is expected to be up at the end of the year.”
Why Kevin Owens may have re-signed with WWE in 2021
I’m very much coming at this from a speculative point of view, but there are a couple of factors that I believe led to Owens deciding to stay with WWE when presented with a new deal in 2021. AEW was still a pretty new venture at the point that Owens would have been having negotiations over his deal, with All Elite debuting only a couple of years prior in 2019. Although Owens has been a longtime friend of The Young Bucks since their PWG days, the guarantee of a long-term stay with an established company like WWE for more money would’ve, and was, the best play at the time.
But there’s actually something that I don’t see a lot of people reporting on that could’ve been a genuine sweetener to keep Owens in the company. Although again this is purely speculation, I think that McMahon and co may well have tempted Owens to stay with the allure of a match, or at least some sort of segment, against Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, which ultimately materialised.
Owens and Austin faced each other in April 2022, so the idea that the deal could’ve been in place and the carrot dangled in front of Owens of a match against one of the men that influenced his career so greatly in 2021 isn’t out of the question. Like I said this is just speculation, but if there was one thing that AEW could not offer Owens at that time it HAS to be that.
Trade Deal?
As noted, Owens is good friends with The Bucks and several other names in AEW that were previously major parts of PWG, including commentator Excalibur. With All Elite Wrestling now being a more established company with nearly five years on television, they could well be a more promising prospect for someone the stature of Owens.
Something that I’m not hugely confident in but I could in some way see happening is a trade deal between AEW and WWE, with Owens going one way and Ricky Starks heading the other. I don’t believe that WWE would be looking to do this sort of deal with the de facto number 2 company in North America, but we have seen a lot take place in the last few years that never seemed possible before.
WWE are clearly hoping to get the services of Starks when his deal with AEW expires, and Tony Khan revealed back in August that the former FTW Champion was in fact still signed with the company.
Where will Kevin Owens end up?
Ultimately, I do believe that Owens will stay with WWE and will continue to earn fantastic money with a solid spot on the roster. Having said that, the opportunity to work fewer dates and potentially be right at the top of the card in AEW as Kevin Steen may well be a creative spark that he is looking for.
It all depends on what Owens wants in the coming months, but it is fantastic that there are two companies willing to go into a bidding war for him. Competition means that the asking price for a talent the calibre of Owens can only go up, so hopefully he can get that bag.
Jake Skudder
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