Kevin Owens didn’t just want to come back from neck surgery. He was racing against time to make it for John Cena’s retirement.
Right after his emotional SummerSlam return, Owens revealed to WWE Now that there was one match driving his recovery more than any other. Convinced he could beat the medical timeline, he pushed doctors to keep scanning his neck because he believed he could make it back before Cena’s farewell run came to an end.
“Actually July 18th, 2025 was my surgery. Usually six months in after the surgery is the first scan. I started asking them to do a scan at three months, because when I was 20 years old, I had ACL surgery. Most people take nine months to get back from that. Took me three. So I’m like, this is the same thing. In three months, my bones are fused. ‘Cause in my head I’m like, I’m gonna come back before John Cena retires so I can wrestle him one last time.”
Owens genuinely believed he could beat the clock. Instead, every scan brought the same disappointing answer. Rather than clearing him, doctors kept telling him his neck simply wasn’t ready, no matter how badly he wanted to get back into the ring.
“They humored me and did the scan. They’re like, ‘Yeah, not happening.’ I did another scan at four months because I wanted to come back in Montreal in January. They’re like, ‘We can’t do it.’ Then another scan at six months was when they were supposed to do it. They’re like, ‘It’s still not right.’ So then they’re like, ‘We’re not doing a scan for another long while.’ We did one at nine months. It still wasn’t good. So by that point, I’m like, ‘Man, it might not… maybe it just won’t happen.'”
It’s a heartbreaking admission from someone who, less than a day earlier, completed one of WWE’s biggest comeback stories. Owens made his surprise return at SummerSlam after 17 months away, entered the last-minute Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender’s Match, pinned Sami Zayn with a Stunner and punched his ticket to an Undisputed WWE Championship match against CM Punk.
Unfortunately for Owens, one last match with John Cena slipped away before his body finally cooperated. Fortunately for WWE fans, his story didn’t end there. Instead, it led him straight back to SummerSlam—and now, straight to CM Punk.
What do you think of Kevin Owens’ revelation? Would you have liked to see him face John Cena one last time before Cena’s retirement? Let us know in the comments below.
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