00:00Now, I would introduce myself, but, uh...
00:05Oh, my! Oh, no!
00:07Oh, it's attack machine gun time!
00:09No, no, no, no!
00:10Now it's a stage!
00:11Hail Mania is upon us!
00:14You know exactly who I am.
00:17One of the hardest-fighting members of WWE, Kevin Owens,
00:20has his WWE contract set to expire at the end of 2024.
00:25When he signed with WWE in late 2021,
00:27it was reportedly a lucrative contract
00:29in the range of $2 million to $3 million a year.
00:32Since signing that deal,
00:34Owens headlined two consecutive WrestleManias,
00:37including one against Stone Cold Steve Austin
00:40in his one match in nearly 20 years.
00:42And he's always been a regular on WWE television.
00:45He's that guy.
00:46Reliable in any position you put him in,
00:49a convincing utility player who can go have a hardcore banger,
00:52or deliver convincing dialogue on camera and on the microphone.
00:56When he's asked to step up, he does it.
00:58By the time his current deal ends,
01:00he will have been with WWE for 10 years.
01:03It's crazy to think how time flies,
01:05and he's managed to make himself a mainstay on WWE's roster,
01:10despite all of the competition within WWE
01:12and the competition outside of it.
01:15It isn't even a rumor that his contract with WWE is coming to an end.
01:19He pretty much confirmed at the end of 2022
01:21that he had two years left on his deal.
01:24Not only that, but reports have suggested
01:26that if KO decides to leave WWE,
01:29all elite wrestling ran by NFL team owner Tony Khan
01:34is a more than willing party to scoop up his services.
01:38And he has a lot of wrestling history
01:40with some key members of the roster,
01:42specifically the Young Bucks,
01:44who he was in the Mount Rushmore faction with
01:46in his independent wrestling days.
01:48But apparently WWE, now under the TKO banner and new ownership,
01:52doesn't want to let him go either.
01:55So if Kevin Owens could become a big name-free agent
01:58in just a few months, it begs the question,
02:01should he stay with WWE or go to their arch-rival,
02:04which is well-funded, and AEW?
02:06It feels like there's only two options,
02:09but we'll make the case for both scenarios
02:11and give you our opinion on what KO's next move could be or should be.
02:16It's just speculative here. Don't take it too seriously.
02:19Let us know what you think in the comments below.
02:21This is Sportskeeda Wrestling. I'm Kevin.
02:24You think you know all the wrestling stories?
02:26There's more you haven't heard yet.
02:29Join us on Backstage Pass.
02:32It wouldn't be a massive shocker if Kevin Owens simply decided
02:36it was time for him to take on a new, fresh challenge,
02:40maybe with a significant pay raise,
02:42if that's what we're talking about as well.
02:44We've seen situations with legends,
02:46I mean, people that are absolutely phenomenal wrestlers
02:49in the league of Bryan Danielson and Adam Copeland,
02:52aka Edge, where they pretty much achieved
02:55whatever they wanted in WWE
02:57and decided to make the jump for a new creative pursuit
03:01and not necessarily just financial reasons,
03:04but don't worry, these guys are getting paid,
03:06which is a major reason why AEW's been able to compete
03:08with WWE in some form or another for the past five years.
03:12It's well-financed.
03:13For personal and really creative reasons,
03:16he would be able to reconnect on the road
03:18with many of his close friends in the wrestling business
03:20that predate his time in WWE, as we mentioned,
03:23and we're not just talking about the Youngbox, Adam Colbay-bay.
03:27It would give Kevin Owens a new purpose in his career
03:30and a lot of new opponents to work with.
03:32He's a bit of a loose cannon, so in the ring,
03:35physically in a demanding style that AEW demands of its wrestlers,
03:39it might just create new things that suit him,
03:42new things that give him creative pursuits on the horizon
03:45as a wrestling entertainer.
03:47You could also argue that KO might have a better chance
03:51becoming a world champion in All-E Wrestling
03:54than maybe WWE as the cards lay out
03:57in terms of the pecking order with other big-name superstars.
04:00That's no shot at him, just looking at a forecasting of things.
04:03The last time Owens held a world championship
04:07was nearly eight years ago.
04:10That's a long time in pro wrestling.
04:12He's gone on the record saying that his universal championship run
04:15with WWE in the mid-2010s didn't go maybe exactly as he wanted it.
04:19He said he went fairly quickly
04:21and how he had a really different mindset at the time.
04:23So maybe, just maybe, AEW might be the choice for him
04:27in terms of giving him new options, new pursuits, new prizes to fight for.
04:31Beyond that, the deck looks a lot more stacked towards one side,
04:35which is the side where he re-signs with WWE
04:39and continues for however long he feels he wants to continue.
04:42When Kevin Owens signed his most recent deal in 2021,
04:45he said that the decision was pretty easy
04:48because it was the best thing for his family.
04:50So looking at that perspective,
04:52that reason alone has a lot more weight to it
04:54than maybe the reasons we listed out for the creative pleasures
04:58he might or may not find in AEW.
05:01But then again, AEW has been known to offer those lucrative contracts
05:05with lighter dates for big names.
05:08Some have speculated they have several seven-figure talents on their payroll.
05:13Also, you have a way lighter schedule in AEW
05:17than you do in comparison to WWE
05:20with all of its traveling commitments for live events
05:22and doing media appearances to promote everything WWE.
05:26He's been a Triple H guy in the eyes of many for many, many years now,
05:30and it's hard not to see why we want him to stay in Triple H's WWE
05:35where the overall vision from a man at the top
05:38has always been kind to Mr. Owens.
05:41I mean, on screen as characters, Triple H said,
05:44this is the next guy and helped him win a world title.
05:47It's also worth noting what meat has been put on the table
05:50with Kevin Owens' current character arc in WWE
05:54where there is very clearly a lot of thought and effort
05:57put behind his actions on TV every week
06:01and what they mean and what they represent for his character.
06:04At the moment, we're seeing a version of Kevin Owens
06:07who's a good guy actively trying to fight his vicious nature
06:11and natural instincts to betray his newer or revived friendships.
06:16He's come up short for the WWE Championship
06:19and he's in a situation where it seems almost inevitable
06:22that he's going to betray Cody Rhodes.
06:24That's a long-term storyline.
06:26That's something he can be committed to and benefit from in the long term.
06:31He's low-key having one of the best stories in WWE right now.
06:34Yeah, don't doubt us on that. This one's going to come up on you.
06:37And it looks like it's going to build up to an even bigger and better thing.
06:41Let's not shock ourselves if Kevin Owens is once again a WWE World Champion.
06:45Yeah, I know earlier we said the deck is stacked there.
06:48There's a lot of talent, a lot of possible world champions.
06:51But Owens being a heelish champion again,
06:54being villainous once more, adding a depth to his character.
06:58Are you telling me he can't powerbomb himself and do a new reinvention?
07:02He can.
07:03Now, once again, over on the other side,
07:05AEW could offer all those big money checks.
07:08They could offer fresh, new, exciting challenges for Kevin Owens.
07:11But he likely can benefit more in the long run
07:15while collecting a sizable check and being on television every week
07:19like WWE is going to afford with that storyline that's going to be as committed to him.
07:23I'm not saying that AEW can't offer that, but it's inconsistent.
07:27Some people that have gone over there have benefited.
07:29Some a little less than others.
07:31There's also the fact that AEW, having many multi-million dollar signings,
07:36may not prove to be sustainable in the long run.
07:39They simply don't have the same structure in terms of what they present every week on TV that WWE does.
07:44It's not a shock, just the circumstances.
07:46Based on pure financial statements alone,
07:48WWE is certainly sustainable with their talent payroll.
07:51AEW can pay him. Money is not the question here.
07:54It's what Kevin Owens wants.
07:56Now, we clearly don't know that.
07:57We're just speculating, as I said.
07:59We would still love to hear from you in the comments about this.
08:02It's not hard to see how somebody like Kevin Owens
08:05could transition into a backstage role once his in-ring career wraps up.
08:09He has gained a wealth of knowledge in his profound career
08:13that lends itself to him being something very special
08:17for newer and future crops of talents within WWE.
08:21With the company's multi-million dollar talent line
08:25from the WWE Performance Center and WWE NXT,
08:28where Owens himself has greatly benefited,
08:31he would be a trusted, wise asset there.
08:34It's a hypothetical scenario, yeah,
08:37but to know that there's a warm and familiar wrestling space
08:41waiting for you when your final bell of your final match has been rung
08:45has to be a fulfilling purpose for people who are very about their purpose in pro wrestling.
08:51To have something keeping you in wrestling after you're done wrestling,
08:55a lot of people like that idea, especially if they work in wrestling.
08:58It's hard to say how much time KO has left in his in-ring career,
09:02so that is also a very gray yet influential part
09:05of what he may or may not want to do with this upcoming potential deal.
09:10Ultimately, it comes down to what he feels is best for himself and his family.
09:15Considering how great his WWE run has been when you look back at it,
09:19how he's been risen up to the echelons at the top of the wrestling industry,
09:24it's hard not to think what he might do next.
09:27It's just something we're considering.
09:29What does he want to do? What do you think he should do?
09:32What would you like to see him do as a fan?
09:34If he doesn't stay with WWE, are we getting Kevin Steen in AEW in the future?
09:38Oh, we didn't even bring up this idea.
09:40What if he doesn't go to AEW or WWE?
09:43What if he goes to the independents?
09:45Yeah, it's all a possibility.
09:49FOLLOW-US!
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