'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
According to a backstage update from Jon Alba, Kevin Owens is expected to leave WWE at the end of his current deal with the company.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select recently broke the news that Kevin Owens' current WWE contract is set to expire in January of next year instead of 2023 due to WWE restructuring his contract before the pandemic.
Before the news emerged, Kevin Owens tweeted and deleted the coordinates to Mt. Rushmore on his Twitter account. For those not in the know, Mt. Rushmore was the name of a wrestling stable that featured himself, Adam Cole, and The Young Bucks in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Owens also updated his location on his Twitter profile to "Almost there," while The Young Bucks updated their location to "There" as they have all begun to tease his jump to AEW.
A new report from Jon Alba on his Living the Gimmick podcast suggests Kevin Owens' time in WWE is coming to an end, as the people he has spoken to today within the company believe that KO will be departing the company when his contract expires in January.
“In speaking with some WWE sources throughout the day, there is very much an internal belief Owens is gone at the end of his WWE deal. He has dropped multiple hints on social media in the last 24 hours that allude to him being AEW-bound,” said Alba. (H/T Bodyslam.net)
Alba later suggested on Twitter that things could change up in the coming months.
"Just for more context on this. I spoke with multiple people in #WWE today and this is just what they believe. Still plenty of time for things to change, as @SeanRossSapp noted, his deal is up in beginning of 2022. He'll be an asset wherever he goes."
If Kevin Owens departs WWE, will Sami Zayn be far behind?
With Kevin Owens seemingly on his way out of WWE, wrestling fans' attention has immediately shifted to his real-life best friend, Sami Zayn. Zayn's contract is reportedly up sometime this fall, depending on how much time was added to his contract due to injury.
Sami Zayn is the only WWE Superstar to mention AEW by name on WWE programming and has close ties to The Young Bucks and several others in All Elite Wrestling.
One certainly can't rule out Tony Khan wanting to debut both men together in 2022 to recreate another shocking moment like he did earlier this week at All Out.
Are you surprised that WWE believes Kevin Owens is leaving? Are you excited about the prospect of seeing him join All Elite Wrestling? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section.
