Is Kevin Owens Destined to Leave WWE for AEW?

Despite doing nothing of note for the better part of 2021, Kevin Owens has been a hot topic of discussion among fans as of late due to the impending expiration of his WWE deal.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported in September that the Canadian's current contract with the company is set to expire on January 31, 2022. Since then, there has been no indication he has re-signed or plans to, though it's entirely possible he will do so at the eleventh hour.

Speculation started to run rampant after Owens tweeted the coordinates to the Mount Rushmore monument on Twitter. Those familiar with his work pre-WWE know that wasn't a random coincidence; he was likely hinting at something with his former stablemates, The Young Bucks and Adam Cole.

Of course, all of this broke right around the time of All Out, which was widely considered by fans to be All Elite Wrestling's strongest show to date. It featured the debut of Cole fresh off his release from WWE, and if Owens wanted to follow in his footsteps, he won't have to wait long to make that decision.

The grass may not be greener on the other side for every disgruntled WWE talent, but Owens is the exception. Let's look at the five factors as to why KO could be AEW-bound and why he arguably should be.

Owens may be not considered an "enhancement talent" given his level of notoriety, but he has been utilized as a stepping stone for several months now.

Before leaving for Raw in the 2021 WWE draft, he lost to Happy Corbin on multiple occasions. Of course, it's commonplace for Superstars to lose on their way out of a brand, but Corbin and Madcap Moss were getting the better of KO every week on SmackDown to the point where it was laughable.

He has yet to win anything as a member of the Raw roster, but part of that is due to the draft rules going into effect two weeks ago. He was involved in last week's Fatal 4-Way ladder match main event to determine the next No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship but missed out to Seth Rollins.

Aside from wins at house shows, Owens hasn't won a singles match on WWE TV since the August 13 edition of SmackDown. Prior to that, you'd have to go back to July 2 when he beat Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing match to qualify for Money in the Bank.

His lack of luck in recent months is a tell-tale sign that WWE is preparing for the possibility of him leaving. Dean Ambrose was booked the same way before he departed for AEW in 2019, so unless the company attempts to convince him to stay by giving him an aggressive push in the coming months, don't expect his booking to change too much.

One of the biggest reasons Adam Cole has cited for joining AEW is wanting to work with his friends in The Elite. He hadn't been in the same company as them in nearly five years, and although he likely would've had a fine future on the WWE main roster, enjoying his work alongside his closest pals is among anyone's top priorities.

Cole hasn't been in AEW for long, but he's come across like an absolute star for the most part, even while being aligned with the over-the-top Elite. That should give fans faith that Owens would be no different if he were to reunite with his friends from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Mount Rushmore.

Owens, Cole and The Young Bucks were a staple of PWG for a considerable amount of time in the early 2010s, at least until Owens left for WWE. They were essentially the kings of the independent scene, and seeing how it's been so long since they've all shared a ring, a reunion in AEW would be a sight to see.

AEW has brought in so much top talent in 2021 that it's easy to understand why some fans are against the idea of Owens also jumping ship. There's no guarantee he wouldn't be lost in the shuffle, but given his ties to the Bucks, it's safe to assume he'll be involved in something significant right away.

KO has unfinished business with plenty of people on the AEW roster, but getting Mount Rushmore back together should be his first objective. Plus, he probably wouldn't mind the change of scenery and having some fun again.

It's rare WWE gives a newcomer a prominent push right out of the gate, but when it does, one of two things happen: They either maintain that momentum and remain relevant at the main event level, or they are slowly deemphasized and never reach those heights again.

Owens, unfortunately, falls into the latter category.

Fans were hopeful he'd be among the elite few NXT call-ups WWE got right after he beat John Cena clean in his debut match on the main roster. After losing the next two matches to The Champ, he was firmly positioned as an upper-midcarder.

Even during his reign as universal champion, he was never positioned as a true threat to any of the main event players such as Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Goldberg. He's been successful and has won almost every active title there is to win, but he's officially reached a point where there isn't a lot left for him to accomplish.

It's clear WWE doesn't see him as a perennial world championship contender, and if he isn't going to find a tag team partner and chase after his first tag title, then everything else he attempts to do going forward will feel repetitive.

Owens would have a fresh set of goals in AEW and a much better chance of being more of a mainstay in the main event scene.

It's quite clear WWE has had no clue what to do with Owens for some time.

This week's Raw, which saw him collide with WWE champion Big E in a non-title main event, was the most important he has felt in months. Based on the finish of that match, the company may be teasing yet another heel turn with him, but beyond that, he has largely been directionless throughout 2021.

Owens opened the year in a hot feud with Roman Reigns over the Universal Championship. The two had a string of excellent matches together, but because KO was unsuccessful each time, it only hurt his stock.

He then spent the next several months rekindling his rivalry with Sami Zayn, and although they consistently killed it, his many wins over The Great Liberator amounted to nothing. He failed to win Money in the Bank and was left off the card for SummerSlam.

All of that should be a bad omen that WWE doesn't plan on prioritizing KO even if he were to re-sign in the next few months. Returning to Raw in the draft won't matter in the long run, much as it hasn't in years past.

A heel turn may help him out for a brief period, but he'd inevitably end up in the same spot on the card no matter what.

One of the best parts of Owens' return to NXT at TakeOver: WarGames III in 2019 was seeing him mix it up with so many fresh (or in some cases, familiar) faces.

In one match, WWE fans witnessed him rub shoulders with Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic and the entire Undisputed Era. That new blood was why fans wanted him back in NXT so badly during that period as it would have been the ultimate refresher for him, but it never came to pass.

In the last two years, he's largely been facing the same Superstars he has been for years: Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns. The renewal of those rivalries was better with the roles reversed and Owens as the babyface, but he's grown stale with his current character as well.

A heel turn isn't the answer to his problems as much as a move to AEW is.

There, regardless of whether he's a heel or a face, he can work with an abundance of talent he's never mixed it up with before. Owens against Kenny Omega, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin, Lance Archer and others are all exciting possibilities.

Even with some of the recent call-ups from NXT, no one from the active WWE roster stands out as being an intriguing opponent for him. Not only would a run in AEW revive his career and allow him to start anew, but an unleashed Owens with that level of creative freedom is also extremely enticing.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.