Did Kevin Owens re-signing with WWE influence top SmackDown star's own decision?

WWE Superstar Sami Zayn recently spoke about whether or not his re-signing with the company was influenced by Kevin Owens, who also penned a new deal in December 2021.

It's no secret that Zayn and Owens are close friends. Their careers have followed almost the same timeline, with Sami signing with WWE in 2013 and Owens following suit a year later.

In a recent interview with Cultaholic, Zayn revealed that on a subconscious level, Owens' re-signing may have been a factor in him choosing to stay with WWE:

“I don’t know, that’s a good question. I don’t know because we’re actually on separate brands but our contracts were coming up around the same time, so I don’t know. It’s not like we're kind of in it together with regards to negotiation or anything...or even decision-making. Whatever decision he made, I don’t know if it was 100% going to influence my decision or vice versa. But, I mean, on a subconscious level, I’m sure it helped for sure." (H/T - Wrestling Inc)

At this year's WrestleMania, Zayn will face Jackass star Johnny Knoxville while Owens has invited WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin as his guest on The KO Show.

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What made Kevin Owens decide to stay with WWE

With his contract up late last year, many fans expected Owens to follow his friends Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly and sign with AEW. However, Kevin Owens signed a new multi-year deal with WWE last year in what he called an easy decision.

During a conversation with Pat Laprade of TVA Sports, Owens said re-signing with WWE was the best decision for his family:

“The decision was pretty easy because it was the best thing for my family, really. When it comes to that, it’s always a pretty easy decision to take.” (H/T - GiveMeSport)

Kevin Owens is gearing up for one of the biggest moments of his career at WrestleMania 38. On the last episode of RAW (March 22, 2022), the former Universal Champion fooled the WWE Universe and walked out to Austin's theme. The Hall of Famer's song got fans excited, but their hopes were shattered as Owens walked out impersonating The Texas Rattlesnake.