Kevin Owens has revealed he was only medically cleared to return to the ring a matter of weeks before making his surprise comeback at WWE SummerSlam Night Two.
Kevin Owens returned after more than a year on the sidelines, entering the Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn match alongside Gunther before emerging victorious to earn a future World Championship opportunity against CM Punk.
Speaking during the SummerSlam Night Two post-show, the former Universal Champion admitted there was a point where he feared his wrestling career could be over after his recovery from surgery failed to progress as expected.
“There was a moment I thought it wasn’t gonna happen, and I definitely did not make peace with it. I was not ready. Getting this taken away from you when you’re not ready is hard.”
Owens credited his family, friends and WWE’s medical team for helping him through the difficult period, while also thanking Big E for his support.
“I had such a great group of people around me to support me through it: my wife, my kids, my friends, the WWE medical staff, even you (Big E).”
The 42-year-old explained that repeated scans continued to show slower-than-expected healing, leaving him uncertain whether he would ever be cleared to compete again.
“Up to a month ago, I was like, ‘This may be it’. We kept doing scans; it kept not showing what we were hoping for as far as the healing process from the surgery.”
However, Owens revealed that just a few weeks before SummerSlam, doctors finally saw the improvement they had been waiting for.
“Then a couple of weeks ago, they said, ‘We finally saw what we needed to see; you can get back in the ring.’ From there, here I am.”
Kevin Owens Won His First WWE Match In Over A Year
Kevin Owens made the most of his long-awaited return at SummerSlam, winning his first match back to immediately secure a future title opportunity against CM Punk. Owens last wrestled for WWE before SummerSlam in an Unsanctioned Match against Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber 2025 on March 1.
