WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks and More

The Road to WrestleMania is upon us, and according to one of WWE's most prominent stars, his journey to The Grandest Stage of Them All almost never happened.

Kevin Owens joined The Steve Austin Show podcast recently and discussed his journey to WWE, revealing some news and information previously unknown by the masses.

What was he told when he received the call that changed his professional life forever? He told The Texas Rattlesnake the details.

With WWE Fastlane in the rear view mirror, it appears as though the ending to the Sasha Banks-Nia Jax match was nowhere near as muddied and controversial as it was intended to be, courtesy of a botched finish. What was supposed to go down in the closing seconds of the bout?

Find out the answer to that question and more with this delve into news and rumor in WWE for the week of March 7.

Kevin Owens: Permanent NXT Fixture?

According to Owens himself, that was the original plan.

Speaking to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin during the Hall of Famer's aforementioned podcast (h/t Wrestling Inc for the transcription), Owens admitted there was no guarantee he was ever going to make it to Raw or SmackDown Live.

"As a matter of fact, when I got signed, Canyon Ceman, who is Triple H's kind of righthand man with recruiting talent, called me and said, 'well, we're going to hire you, but I was told to let you know not to get your hopes up as far as RAW and SmackDown goes because, as you're aware, you're maybe not somebody who Vince McMahon would gravitate towards."

This confirms the long-held belief that McMahon does, in fact, value Superstars who look a certain way. To his credit, Owens then turned the attention to the changing perception of stars under the WWE umbrella and applauded a SmackDown performer for changing the minds of management.

"There'd already been guys that, much like myself, were successful even though they weren't the kind of guys you'd expect Vince to be on board with, like Daniel Bryan. He probably deserves a lot of credit for people like myself and Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe being here because he really broke down the barriers, almost like the fake barriers that people were putting up. Yeah, the perception. He really changed the perception."

Owens has been one of the top stars in WWE since he was called up to the main roster. He has also been one of the most reliable, not missing television due to injury. He has been a workhorse, and his performances have benefited WWE exponentially.

It is to the benefit of the company that McMahon saw past his physique and Ceman made that fateful call that brought Owens into the fold.

Sasha Banks Botches Fastlane Finish

According to Cageside Seats, Sasha Banks botched the planned finish of her match with Nia Jax.

The Boss was meant to grab hold of the ropes during her bridging rollup of Jax. The finish would have given her the win but, at the same time, protected Jax. The desired outcome would have created doubt about Banks' ability to win the match fairly and given Jax a logical argument for a rematch or, better yet, a place in the Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania.

As fans witnessed on Monday's broadcast, Banks earned a trip to WrestleMania by way of her victory over Bayley, turning a one-on-one match with Charlotte into a Triple Threat match.

Jax was nowhere to be found during the show.

That creates doubt as to whether or not she will have a place on the April 3 card. Even if she does, she will be forced in rather than having it come as organically as it would have.

Jack Swagger Still Under Contract

On March 1, Jack Swagger appeared on Chael Sonnen's Beyond the Fight podcast and announced that he had formally requested his release from World Wrestling Entertainment (h/t Cageside Seats).

Less than one week later, Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin reported that Swagger has not been released and that there are complications surrounding his ability to go work for other promotions.

A rep for WWE told Sheet, "Jack Swagger has not been granted a release from his WWE contract. When he is granted his release, Jack Swagger will remain under exclusive contract to WWE for 90 days and will be compensated accordingly during that period."

Contractually, WWE has every right to keep Swagger. A former world champion, he has accomplished great things for McMahon's company. At the same time, he has seen much potential go wasted, some through his own fault.

In 2013, he was arrested a month out from WrestleMania 29, where he would challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship, for DUI and possession of marijuana. Though he has enjoyed other pushes since then, none were as significant.

A jump to SmackDown Live late in 2016 looked to be the start of bigger and better things for The All-American American, who had disappeared from WWE television earlier in the year. Instead, a lackluster rivalry with Baron Corbin proved the only meaningful thing he accomplished with the brand.

At this point, the release is likely, but, until that happens, it looks like Swagger will continue to wallow in mediocrity and irrelevance under the WWE umbrella.