Kevin Owens spent 17 months out of wrestling with a neck injury. He did not know if he would ever be able to come back.
Owens is 42, from Marieville, Quebec, and has been with WWE since 2014. His last match before the injury was in March 2025.
For more than a year since his last match, the scans kept coming back telling him he wasn’t ready. In April 2026, doctors told him he still wasn’t close.
This past July, he was finally told he could return to the ring. After getting medical clearance, he returned at SummerSlam in Minneapolis where he won a Four-Way Match to become the #1 Contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
This Friday, Owens returns to Canada – to face CM Punk for the WWE Championship in Toronto on Smackdown.
What makes this match so compelling to fans is the 20-year history between the two men. Kevin Owens and CM Punk make it no secret that they really do not like each other – and for the first time, these two men are facing each other in a match – and that match is for the WWE Championship. Three days later, WWE comes here to Ottawa.
We spoke to Kevin Owens ahead of both big events:
Faces: Good morning, Kevin! Thanks for making the time to join us today! Back in May, you’re in your car and you announce 3 upcoming WWE shows in Canada – London, Toronto and Ottawa. You talked about being bored, you’re injured… we’ll get it Ottawa in a moment, but I’m curious, when you were sitting there and making that video, did you have any idea that you’d be working this tour at the time?
Kevin Owens (KO): No! No… at that point, I really, truly believe they were just trying to find me things to do so I would stop driving them nuts. I kept asking, ‘hey, can you put me to work, I’m really bored!’ And they were like no, no just recover. I said ‘no, please I’m driving everyone crazy in my house.’
So, they would just give me whatever and they were like ‘hey we have these Canadian shows to announce do you want to do it?’ And I was like ok! I really had no idea I would be on them. I hoped, but I also hoped for a year and a half that I would be on shows soon and kept getting told that’s not going to happen.
Then in May when I did the announcement, I just had a scan in April where they told me it’s not close. So, I still had no hope. But somewhere between April and July, things in my neck and the healing process picked up, thankfully, and now here we are.
But yeah, when I made that announcement, I really had no idea. I actually thought there’s almost zero chance I would be on these shows.
Faces: I do want to ask you about the injury and the process to recover, but how wild is it to you now, looking back in hindsight, that four months passes and now in a few days you’re going to be wrestling for the WWE Undisputed Title in Toronto?
KO: Yeah, everything was so quick. That’s the craziest part. By the time they told me I could get back in the ring, that was mid-July. I cut my vacation short to get back in the ring as soon as I could. There’s a process to get medically cleared, and the longer you’ve been out, the longer that process is, depending on the injury, the surgery and all of that stuff.
Somehow, again, this is one of these cases where I’m kind of driving everybody nuts, and I kept asking how long until I’m cleared, how can I fast track it, what I can do to make it as soon as possible, this and that. And they were like well, there’s no shortcuts here. If this needs to happen, then it needs to happen. Usually, it takes about four weeks to get all of this done, I did it in nine days.
I basically took everything they wanted me to do, and instead of doing one thing one day, one thing the next day, one thing a few days later, I just did everything back-to-back-to-back. And, at the end of that they’re like ‘alright, you’re cleared.’
Then I got the call about SummerSlam, and everything happened so quickly between the time I was told I can get back in the ring, and the time I was at SummerSlam, there was maybe two weeks.
Faces: That’s incredible, and congratulations on the perseverance to get to that point. So how has this last month felt for you, now that you’re back in the thick of things?
KO: It really feels like I never left, like, I wasn’t off for 17 months. It’s right back to where I go to work, everything feels the same, getting back on the plane, getting to the hotel, and the next day going to the show, seeing the crew and everybody I was close with. Nothing’s changed, we picked up right where we left off, not only in the ring and in terms of with the fans and where I stand on Smackdown, but everything in between, like the people that I missed for 17 months, my friends at work that I didn’t get to see anymore. Not just my fellow wrestlers, but the crew and everybody behind the scenes that I got close with over the last 10 years.
You know, when you don’t see people for so long, sometimes things change, but not at all. It’s literally, like, right back to where things were. It almost makes me feel like no time at all passed, that I wasn’t gone. But I was, for a long time, and that’s kind of a weird thing that everything feels so business as usual after not being there for so long.
Faces: With an injury so serious, I’m sure thoughts creep into your head about never stepping into the ring again. But as you get closer towards maybe seeing that light at the end of the tunnel and getting that clearance, I’m sure you start to envision yourself back in the ring. So, what were some of the things that you were most looking forward to when you did get that green light to be cleared medically?
KO: You know, when I was coming up in wrestling for like 15 years before being signed by WWE, I would always picture myself winning the WWE title, or wrestling at WrestleMania, or I would picture me and Sami Zayn winning the tag titles together, stuff like that. Or you know, when I first signed with WWE and I was in NXT, I would picture myself answering John Cena’s open challenge, and that’s actually exactly what happened. That’s what took me to the main roster. I would picture these things because those were my goals.
But everything has changed, because obviously the last 10, 11 years in WWE, I had this incredible career and I got so many special moments, so many special matches, so many special memories. The last year and a half, I really didn’t picture any specific moment, like being in the ring with this guy, or winning a title or anything like that. It was really just about getting back in the ring at all and making sure I enjoy the time I have left.
It was just this feeling where, if I go back, the one thing I’ll do more than anything is just make sure I get enjoy the ride. When you’re coming up in WWE and you feel like you have so much to prove, so much to achieve, and obviously the more successful you are, the more money you’ll make for your family, and for your future… it almost feels like you have all of these responsibilities and there’s so much pressure, but that pressure is gone now.
I had this incredible career, I did things I never thought I would do, I did things that a lot of people will never get to do. Through it all, I would lose perspective, and sometimes I wouldn’t take the time to enjoy those moments as much as I should have. I don’t want to do that anymore. And now, every match I have, every show I’m on now, is a gift, because for a long time, I didn’t think it would happen again.
So, all I want to do is just enjoy every second I can of it. Because, I don’t know, maybe there’s one more year, two more years, five more years, I really don’t know. But I’ll just try to make sure I keep as much as I can with me, so when it’s done, it’s done, but I have all these great things to look back on.
Faces: You just spoke about enjoying every moment you have left, it sounds like your perspective has changed?
KO: Yeah, big time, for sure. Don’t get me wrong, there’s moments I enjoyed for sure, like I remember thinking before I stepped out of the curtain (at WrestleMania 38), when I wrestled Stone Cold Steve Austin, I remember telling myself ‘Make you enjoy this, make sure you remember it, like, take time to soak it in’ which I did, so I have these memories.
But, with my Universal Title run for example, I was so busy with ‘what’s next, what’s next, what’s next’ I barely remember any of it, and that sucks because it was incredible. It was an incredible thing to live, to get to do, and I don’t remember it. I barely remember the night I won it, and it should be a huge thing that I remember for a long time, but quite frankly, I barely remember it. When I won it, I was worried about ‘what are we doing on Smackdown or what are we doing next week on Raw.’
Faces: You win at SummerSlam, and the feeling of pride and relief must be incredible, right? You’ve gone through these 17 months of hell, and here you are, number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship. So now, you’re turning your attention to CM Punk, and one of the ingredients to a great feud in wrestling is developing that animosity, that hatred with your opponent…
KO: We’ve been working on that for 20 years!
Faces: Yeah! This feud, you have not had to manufacture much of that have you?!
KO: No. You know, some people, you’re just not compatible with, and he’s one of them. I’m sure he’d happily say the same, like, we don’t gel.
Faces: This Friday on Smackdown in Toronto, it’s your home turf. I think a lot of people would say you and CM Punk are very comparable on the mic, very skilled and equal in the ring, but you’ve got the home field advantage in Canada for this championship match. So, what does that do for you?
KO: You know, I don’t know if it’s so much home field advantage, honestly, because he’s obviously extremely popular, and the crowd might be split, the crowd might be more on his side, I really don’t know. I’m Canadian, yes, and Toronto’s always been incredible for me, but, you know, he’s a very, very popular guy.
The reason I picked Toronto for the match was because not only is it an amazing crowd, but that’s where I had my last match, where I, what I thought would be my last match. And I remember thinking, if it is my last match, I really couldn’t have asked for a better place to have it, and a better opponent to do it with.
So now, to get to come back and have a show so soon in Toronto, and in such a major match, is great. Also, my parents will get to be there, my family will get to be there and that wouldn’t have been the case if the match happened somewhere else, because my mom, through her health issues over the last several years, her ability to fly and go to shows that are far away, it’s just not the case anymore. But Toronto, it’s a manageable drive from Montreal. So, my parents will be able to be there, and there was awhile where I didn’t know if my parents would ever get to see me in the ring again. And now, they’re going to get to see it, and it’s a big match, and it’s potentially a match where I could win the Undisputed World Title in front of them, which, when I won the Universal Title, my wife, my kids, my parents, they were all watching on TV, but they weren’t there live. So, if I was able to do that with them live, after everything we’ve been through, it would just make everything so much, just so much better.
Faces: This upcoming Monday night, WWE returns to Ottawa. Before your time in WWE, you were no stranger of the Ottawa independent wrestling scene, so I’m curious if you have any fond memories of times in Ottawa, or places you enjoyed going?
KO: Yeah, I had so much fun in Ottawa for so many years with C4 Wrestling, and it was a special place. I was really happy to learn that Smackdown is also going to be a part of the Ottawa show this Monday, because I didn’t know that until recently, and I love being in Ottawa.
We had Raw in Ottawa a few years ago, I got to be a part of it, that was awesome. So, I’m glad to be a part of it, because like you said, Ottawa was a big part of my career before WWE, so anytime I get to come back there, it’s another part of home where I get to perform, and it’s great. I’m really glad I get to do that.
Faces: Interesting timing for this show, as WWE just recently announced WWE NXT is coming to Gatineau in October. I assume when you were injured, you spent a lot of time at the WWE Performance Centre (WWE’s training facility). So, who are some of the talents in NXT that Ottawa/Gatineau fans should look forward to watching in October?
KO: It’s very hard to nail one down, and you know, I’m going to echo what Grayson Waller said on NXT a few weeks ago. There’s a lot of very talented people in NXT, but the women of NXT are kind of whipping the dude’s asses right now as far as in-ring work and performance, so I don’t want to just single out one, but there’s a few guys to keep an eye on for sure. I think the people that go see that NXT show, what they’ll walk away from talking about is going to be the women on the show because they’re all pretty excellent. The future is bright for the women’s division in WWE when you see the girls that are in NXT and their work.
Faces: To close things out today, we’re going back into the history books! Raw is War in Ottawa, November 10th, 1997, we all thought we’d be seeing Bret Hart that night with the WWF World Heavyweight Title, but of course, the Montreal Screwjob happens the night before!
KO: (Laughing)
Faces: We don’t get to see Bret Hart that night, so let’s hope you reverse the curse, there’s no KO Screwjob in Toronto, and then Monday at Raw and Smackdown in Ottawa, we’ll throw you a big party!
KO: (Laughing) Now that you say that, yes, I’m going to do everything I can do make that happen!
Faces: Awesome, thank you for your time!
KO: Thank you, take it easy!
This Friday, August 21st – WWE Smackdown in Toronto. CM Punk will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens. The show will air at 8pm on Netflix.
Monday, August 24th – for the first time ever – both Raw and Smackdown are both being recorded here on the same night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Doors open at 4pm and the show will get started at 530. Raw will air live on Netflix at 6pm (note – its earlier than its usual slot) – and the Smackdown will be taped afterward to air on Friday, August 28th.
Announced for the Ottawa show so far: a contract signing between Bron Breakker and Oba Femi, Stephanie Vaquer against Roxanne Perez, and both semi-finals of the tournament to decide the next challenger for Roman Reigns and the World Heavyweight Championship – with Penta facing La Parka and Rey Fenix facing Dragon Lee.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
NXT comes to the Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau on October 17th – it is the brand’s first Canadian tour in seven years. Tickets for that go on sale Wednesday at 10am
Interview By: Ryan Allen