WWE Bash In Berlin 2024 Results: Cody Rhodes Defeats Kevin ...

Kevin Owens and Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes have helped carry WWE SmackDown in 2024. (Credit: ... [+] WWE/Getty Images)

Kevin Owens lost to Cody Rhodes at WWE Bash in Berlin 2024, and his future in WWE is looking bleaker by the day.

After a classic back-and-forth battle between two of WWE’s top babyfaces, Rhodes was able to put away his longtime friend Owens with a final Cross Rhodes finisher. The result, of course, was not a surprise. Rhodes is expected to have a monumental WrestleMania 41 match against The Rock that would likely be for the WWE Championship, so Rhodes should remain champion well into 2025.

Owens’ future, though? Well, it’s one giant question mark.

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The former Universal Champion is one of many high-profile stars with an expiring contract, and there hasn’t been any change in his contract status. Owens recently told Rick Ucchino of Sports Illustrated that he hasn’t reached a new deal, and with his current one set to expire in early 2025, Owens has seemed reflective of his WWE career and the possibility that it’s coming to an end.

Despite obvious interest from AEW, Owens signed a new WWE contract in 2021 and would go on to headline a pair of WrestleManias since then, an impressive feat given that neither match involved a world title. Despite Owens often being overlooked when it comes to world title reigns, he has had a consistent presence at or near the top of the card for most of the past decade.

But it could be time for WWE—and Owens—to move on.

Owens, after all, finds himself in a contract situation similar to numerous marquee WWE stars who’ve come down to the wire in contract talks. Among those are Becky Lynch, who is now a free agent, and Drew McIntyre, who ultimately re-signed and is thriving as one of the company’s top stars.

Yet, not every major star in recent years stuck with WWE. Many of them—ranging from Sasha Banks to Daniel Bryan to Adam Cole—wound up in AEW instead, and there’s clearly a very real possibility of that happening with Owens. WWE is continuing to book him in a prominent spot, but as per usual, he’s typically utilized to put over others.

Owens did that with Rhodes again at Bash in Berlin, and with mere months left on his deal, the threat of AEW swooping in with an offer WWE doesn’t want to match is real.

It’s well known that Owens is legitimately close with Matt and Nick Jackson, collectively known as The Young Bucks, who serve as Executive Vice Presidents in AEW. As we have seen with stars such as Bryan, a.k.a. Bryan Danielson, and Banks—now going by the name Mercedes Money—AEW presents a viable alternative to perform on a global stage and still be paid like a top star.

Owens feels like a WWE lifer, but that’s rung true for other stars who went to AEW, too. Now, Owens is in a spot where he can truly command top dollar, and where he re-signs appears to be a question not even he knows the answer to. Owens told Metro (h/t SEScoops) earlier this year, “I really don’t take anything for granted, I’ve nine months left on my contract, and I don’t know what can happen from here on out.”

He added, “That’s just life. If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that nothing is guaranteed.”

Indeed, it isn’t. And after losing to Rhodes at Bash in Berlin, it’s clear that nothing about Owens’ long-term WWE future is guaranteed at all.