“That just sealed the deal” - Kevin Owens reveals why he chose WWE over AEW

WWE Superstar Kevin Owens recently explained his reasons for sticking with Vince McMahon's global juggernaut instead of jumping ship to AEW.

There was plenty of speculation that the prizefighter would sign with Tony Khan's promotion following the expiration of his WWE contract. However, that never transpired and KO decided to extend his contract.

The 37-year-old superstar revealed that Vince McMahon's involvement in his contract negotiations helped him in making the decision. Here's what Owens had to say on the After the Bell podcast:

"Ultimately the thing that really sealed the deal was Vince McMahon, who made it clear that he wanted me to stay," - said Owens. "This place is like a family. It really is. Just like AEW is probably like a family for those guys as well. And it's not just the other wrestlers or performers, It's everybody backstage, everyone that works behind the scenes. Some of my best friends in this company aren't the people you see on camera. It was really hard to picture myself not coming to work on Monday or Friday and seeing those people and ultimately also WWE made me an offer. They wanted me to stay and that just sealed the deal." (from 23:58 to 24:45)

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Kevin Owens also opened up about his relationship with AEW stars

Kevin Owens' close relationship with some of the AEW stars is well known. The Prizefighter competed on the independent scene with the company's EVPs, The Young Bucks.

KO also shares a great relationship with Adam Cole, who joined Tony Khan's promotion last year. Kevin, along with The Young Bucks and Adam, was part of a stable called "Mount Rushmore."

Kevin Owens opened up about his relationship with his former stablemates, stating that it would have been "sweet" to work with them again:

"I love all those guys. We know who we're talking about, I'm still so close to them. I talk to them fairly regularly. I haven't seen those guys in a long time, and obviously, I haven't been in the ring with them in forever, but I had a blast when I was in the ring with those guys on the independents. So there was definitely an appeal there to go back and hang out with those guys in the ring and that would have been sweet," Owens added (from 23:32 to 23:57)

Kevin Owens has been enjoying great success in WWE recently. The former Universal Champion main evented Night One of WrestleMania this year and was trusted by the company for Stone Cold Steve Austin's first match in almost 19 years.

The Prizefighter is a prominent figure on WWE RAW and is currently involved in a program with Ezekiel.

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit the After the Bell podcast with H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.