Tony Khan Had Interest In Kevin Owens Joining AEW

Prior to re-signing with WWE, there was interest in Kevin Steen becoming #AllElite.

by Andrew Pollard
Kevin Owens
WWE

While Kevin Owens has recently signed a new multi-million, multi-year deal to remain with WWE for the foreseeable future, some were predicting that Owens may opt to depart Vince McMahon's sports entertainment juggernaut and head to the shores of AEW.

Speaking during an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri from CBS Sports, AEW President Tony Khan has confirmed that, yes, he would have had major interest in making Owens - as Kevin Steen, of course - #AllElite.

As Khan put it:

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“I would have been interested in that. He’s a great wrestler. I think he ended up signing for what I believe is probably a lot of money. I think that’s great and good for him. We have a lot of people spotlighted here and he’s great. Any company he goes to, he’ll be a great wrestler for them.”

In terms of that "a lot of money", Dave Meltzer over at the Wrestling Observer had previously reported that KO's new deal is worth somewhere in the region of $2 million - $3 million per annum, with it believed that the contract runs for three years.

Owens himself has since confirmed he's re-upped with WWE, explaining to Pat LaPrade on the Anti-Pods de la Lutte show how he made the decision based around what was best for his family, and that WWE offered him a contract that was very beneficial for said family.

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Up next for the Prizefighter, he's got a shot at Big E's WWE Title at WWE Day 1 on New Year's Day, where he'll compete in a fatal four-way bout which also features Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.