Add as a preferred source on Google Kevin Owens returned to the ring at WWE SummerSlam on Sunday in Minneapolis, ending a 519-day absence.
Owens hadn’t wrestled since March 1, 2025, when he beat Sami Zayn in an Unsanctioned Match at Elimination Chamber in Toronto, capping it off with three straight powerbombs on the apron.
To open Sunday’s show, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis added Gunther and The Prizefighter to the previously announced Zayn vs. Finn Bálor match, turning it into a Fatal 4-Way.
Owens and Zayn hugged before the bell. Down the stretch, Owens countered a Helluva Kick into a Stunner and scored the pin on the same man he’d faced in his last match before going down.
The 519 days on the shelf included cervical fusion surgery in July 2025. As recently as March, Owens said his return hinged on the bones fusing completely and that there was no guarantee he’d wrestle again.
Not only did Owens come back without a tune-up match, he walked out with a shot at CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Title.