“I’m Not Done Yet”: Kevin Owens Gets Major Update on Potential WWE Return Date
It has been nearly a full year since the wrestling world watched Kevin Owens step away from the ring, his body finally forcing him to hit the brakes at the worst possible time. Right as the Road to WrestleMania was heating up in 2025, whispers turned into reality: Owens was seriously hurt. The former Universal Champion went under the knife for neck fusion surgery last July, and since then, the silence from “The Prizefighter” has been deafening.
We’ve seen him pop up here and there, making a few brief appearances to keep the connection alive, but the blood and sweat of actual competition have been missing. Owens has been keeping his head down, grinding through the painful, lonely hours of rehab away from the cameras.
But now, the waiting game is about to hit a critical turning point.
Sources close to the situation tell Bodyslam that Owens is gearing up for a massive make-or-break medical re-evaluation this summer. This isn’t just a routine check-up; this is the appointment that will decide if and when he can lace up his boots again.
While the standard recovery time for this type of surgery is usually six months to a year, anyone who has watched Owens work knows he doesn’t do anything halfway. The high-impact style he brings to the ring demands a longer, more cautious recovery. Insiders suggest that optimism is building behind the scenes, with WWE eyeing a potential return for Owens later this year—specifically targeting a comeback in late 2026.
It’s been a long road, especially watching this year’s WrestleMania 42 season unfold in Las Vegas without him. Before the injury, Owens was in the thick of it, trading blows with the likes of Roman Reigns and navigating the chaos of The Bloodline on Friday Night SmackDown. His last real match feels like a lifetime ago, dating back to early 2025.
Owens himself has kept it real with the fans during this hiatus, admitting the journey has been tougher than he expected. “It’s a slow burn,” he shared in a recent WWE digital exclusive, “but I’m giving it everything I’ve got to get back to doing what I love.”
Word has it that WWE creative isn’t waiting around either. There are apparently several “placeholder” ideas being tossed around for his grand entrance, but none of them matter until that summer evaluation comes back with the green light.
For now, we wait with him. Here’s hoping the prizefighter gets his chance to step back into the spotlight.
