Kevin Owens' WWE Contract Reportedly Expiring A Year Earlier Than Expected

WWE have endured contract issues with NXT superstars in recent times, most notably the now-departed Adam Cole and Pete Dunne, and it has been reported that a main-roster talent's deal is set to run out sooner than initially believed. 

Kevin Owens noted, in an interview with TVA Sports in May 2018, that he had recently signed a new five-year deal with WWE, which would take him up to 2023. However, Fightful Select is reporting that WWE sources are saying that Owens' contract with the promotion is set to expire in January 2022.

The report, citing a WWE official, claims that WWE restructured a number of contracts ahead of the COVID-19 Pandemic last year and one of the altercations saw Owens' deal changed so that it actually runs out next January. No details have been corroborated as to why the contract was shortened.

As mentioned, WWE have found themselves on the back foot with a couple of major contracts in the last couple of months. Adam Cole's contract initially expired in July, when he and the promotion believed it was due to run out at the end of 2021, with the former leader of the Undisputed Era joining All Elite Wrestling over the weekend.

In this instance, WWE officials are aware of when Owens' deal is up and have time to negotiate a new contract with the former Universal Champion.

However, Owens did tweet out - and then delete - the coordinates for Mount Rushmore on Tuesday, with Mount Rushmore being the name of a faction he was in alongside Cole and The Young Bucks. Some fans have taken this to mean that the former Kevin Steen is considering a move to AEW when his WWE deal expires.