Add as a preferred source on Google Kevin Owens said Randy Orton is the one who put him in touch with the surgeon who fixed his neck.
Owens made the reveal on WWE Now after beating Gunther, Finn Bálor, and Sami Zayn at SummerSlam to become the new No. 1 contender for CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship. He credited Orton with connecting him to neurosurgeon Adam Kanter.
The two were booked against each other at WrestleMania 41, but the match was scrapped when Owens needed surgery on his neck.
“I had the best surgeon, Dr. Adam Kanter. I just texted him that actually. I cannot thank him enough for what he did. I’ll forever be in debt to him.
Randy Orton is the one who actually put me in touch with him. WWE has an amazing medical staff. We had an amazing surgeon who we worked with all the time, but Randy had worked with Kanter. Adam Kanter’s the one who did Randy’s back surgery and saved his career, and he recommended that I talk to Adam Kanter as well, get several opinions on how to handle this neck surgery.
I decided to go with Adam Kanter because if Randy Orton could trust him — there’s not a whole lot of people in wrestling I respect more than Randy — I trust Adam Kanter. I’m so glad I went in that direction.”
Orton had his own history with Kanter, who performed his spinal fusion in 2022 using a procedure that avoided cutting through the muscles in the area. Orton came back at Survivor Series 2023 after 18 months out of action.
Owens had his surgery on July 18, 2025. Even after his spinal cord was decompressed, the damage was severe enough that doctors still feared he could be left with permanent effects. At one point his bones weren’t growing at the rate they should have been, which led to several more tests during his recovery.
Orton did more than check in on Owens behind the scenes. His recommendation is a big reason Owens is back in the ring and in line for a shot at WWE’s top title.