WWE: Kevin Owens Expiring WWE Contract Update & Interest from AEW, WWE SmackDown Reportedly to Become Three-Hour Show Starting January 2025, More News

Kevin Owens Expiring WWE Contract Status Update – Owens Approached by WWE for New Deal & Interest from AEW

As noted before, Kevin Owens contract with WWE is currently set to expire in early 2025.

Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Owens was recently approached by WWE officials about a potential new contract but he has yet to sign a new deal.

It was reported that Owens’ contract is currently believed to expire at the end of January of 2025 based on he last signed a contract extension with WWE in January of 2022 for three years in length.

It was also reported that those spoken to within AEW stated that AEW officials are currently interested in signing Owens should he become available on the market. It was also reported that AEW CEO Tony Khan has held a long interest in potentially signing Owens to a deal with his company and potentially for both AEW and ROH. Owens reportedly also has a long history with AEW EVPs The Young Bucks, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson.

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WWE SmackDown Reportedly to Become Three-Hour Show Starting January of 2025

As noted before, WWE signed a new television and media rights deal with Netflix this past January for WWE RAW that goes into effect starting in January of 2025. WWE’s SmackDown series recently returned to the USA Network following the expiration of FOX’s contract and WWE’s new deal with USA Network.

WrestleVotes reported in the debut episode of their WrestleVotes Radio podcast that their sources stated that WWE’s SmackDown show will be expanding into becoming a three-hour weekly show starting on the January 3, 2025 show.

It was reported that those spoken to also stated that once WWE’s current deal with USA Network expires, SmackDown will be moving to Netflix for its next home.

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WWE News & Notes

WWE filed a new trademark for “Harlem Lewis” on September 18th for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

WWE recently released three new videos to their WWE Vault channel on YouTube. The first new video was a set of classic matches from Dump Matsumoto and The Crush Gals careers in WWE. The second new video was a WWE Top 10 of Sabu’s greatest moments from his WWE, WCW, and WWE careers. The third new video was a singles match of The Great Khali vs. John Cena from the June 2, 2007 episode of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Alexa Bliss recently announced on Twitter that she did voiceover work for Maki Ueda in Netflix’s “The Queen of Villians” series based on Japanese Joshi legend Dump Matsumoto. Bliss stated “Such an honor to voiceover For Maki Ueda in the incredible series “The Queen of Villians”! Thank you to the amazing team & @netflix for this unforgettable experience 🖤 Check out “The Queen of Villians” now available on Netflix!! I loved every second of it 🙌🏻“

In a recent interview with Instinct Culture, Lyra Valkyria gave her thoughts about her being interested in having an Iron Woman match against IYO SKY in WWE in the future. Valkyria stated “Something hit me the other day. I’d love to do something like an Iron Woman or something like that. I feel that would be the ultimate trust. And you think about the Bayley and Sasha, incredible one that they had, and I would love something like that. I think that I’d be really, really proud of that in my career if I got to do something like that. Against Iyo would be amazing.“

In a recent interview with Unlikely, Nia Jax gave her thoughts about her belief that Becky Lynch will go down as one of the greatest ever wrestlers in the wrestling industry. Jax stated “Becky Lynch is going to go down as one of the greatest in our business. She has put in a lot of work and she has earned her time off. I do take a little bit of credit for being able to give her another punch to the face and squashing the shit out of her. I hope one day, when she does come back, we get to have another face off. I don’t think we’re done with our business. We’ll see.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

In a recent interview with the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, former WWE and TNA wrestler Ken Shamrock confirmed that he is currently under a Legends contract with WWE. Shamrock stated “I’ve had a relationship with them forever. Even since I went away. We did a Legends Contract. It’s one of those things where I think I spent enough time there and did enough there where I feel like I’m part of that family forever.” Shamrock also gave his thoughts about a potential induction into WWE’s Hall of Fame would be “icing on the cake” for his wrestling career. Shamrock stated “Any athlete that goes through a career and has made an impact obviously wants to be recognized, and I do want to be recognized. But — I don’t think of it until it’s brought up, right? It’s not something that I dwell on because I felt like everything that I’ve done in my life, I’ve been blessed to have been in those moments. What comes after that is just icing on the cake. And if that happens, it’s going to be a true thrill. But like I said, it’s not something that I lose sleep over. I’ve really enjoyed my journey and very, very happy with the way my life has turned out.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com, F4WOnline.com)

In a recent issue of the Mone Mag fan newsletter, Merecdes Mone praised her former WWE co-workers Bayley and Natayla for their importance in helping push WWE’s Women’s division forward into new heights of success. Mone stated “The subject of Bayley coaching the WWE’s women’s roster one day came up in conversation recently. All I can say is that she’s been a natural leader for years, and that coaching is something she’s always talked about. I see her opening her own wrestling school someday, if not being an actual WWE executive when she hangs up her boots. Even now, Bayley’s the go-to person backstage—always ready to help and elevate the women around her. She’s unselfish and passionate, constantly working to push the women’s division forward as a whole – not just herself. That’s a true role model and real leadership. When you talk about the women’s movement in life, not just wrestling, Bayley epitomizes what it needs to be and should be. And on that note, let’s not forget about Natalya, the OG. She’s been leading the women’s division for years. SI called her the ‘Gatekeeper of Wrestling’ for a reason—if you can’t hold your own in a match with Natalya, you’re not going to make it. She’s wrestled pretty much every woman in the business and is so giving in the ring. Like Bayley, she’s unselfish and committed to helping the next generation of women succeed. Along with being the Gatekeeper, it’s no coincidence she’s called the B.O.A.T (Best of All Time). She makes us all better inside AND outside the ring.“