Add as a preferred source on Google Kevin Owens is close to a WWE return, and SmackDown is expected to be his landing spot.
Per PWInsider, the word backstage at SummerSlam is that the former Universal Champion is nearing his comeback, with the belief being he’ll be slotted onto the blue brand when it happens.
Owens is in Minneapolis this weekend, though he’s also in town for meet and greets, and there’s still no confirmation he’ll turn up on either night of SummerSlam.
That got another bump today. As Wrestling Noticias previously reported, Owens was training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando this week.
BREAKING: Kevin Owens is expected to be on SmackDown when he returns to WWE🚨
— The Squared Times (@TheSquaredTimes) August 1, 2026
It was previously reported that Owens is set to return to WWE imminently after being out of action since March 2025 following neck surgery
Additionally it was noted that Owens is currently backstage… pic.twitter.com/zhO6vqI3Km
Owens’ last match came on March 1, 2025, when he beat Sami Zayn in an Unsanctioned Match at Elimination Chamber in Toronto. He stuck around on TV for a few weeks after that before announcing on the April 4, 2025 episode of SmackDown that a serious neck injury would keep him from working Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41.
He underwent cervical fusion surgery on July 18, 2025. Owens later said the procedure went well, though there was no guarantee at the time that he’d be cleared to get back in the ring.
He kept working with the company while he was on the shelf, coaching on WWE LFG and appearing at the tailgate party tied to NXT Great American Bash.