WWE Superstar Kevin Owens has shared new details about his recent neck fusion surgery and addressed the uncertainty surrounding his in-ring future.
Owens spoke about the procedure while taking fan questions during the 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR event in Daytona this past weekend.
Owens explained that the build-up to surgery was stressful due to uncertainty about the severity of the operation. “Yeah, so it’s a neck surgery. I needed neck fusion. It was very stressful going into it, because we weren’t really sure how severe the fusion was going to be, how many levels, all this stuff. Thankfully, ended up only being one level, which is the best case scenario for something like this.”
The former WWE Universal Champion said the surgery itself went well but stressed that the most crucial part is still ahead. “The surgery was successful. I had a great doctor. The thing is, now we have to see how the bones fuse, and there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work. You know, how my body heals. And we’ll see. Some guys had success, some guys didn’t. Fingers crossed I can come back to wrestling in the next year. Really don’t know, though, but yeah, my goal is to come back. So hopefully that’s what happens.”
Owens also discussed the silver lining of his recovery — more time at home with his family — and reflected on how WWE’s schedule has improved since he first joined the company. “When I started WWE in 2014 we were gone 250 days out of the year. Since then, things have changed, and we get to be home a lot more. WWE has changed the schedule to a point where we get to do this for a living and basically live our dream, but we also get to have nice family time at home.”
Despite enjoying the downtime, Owens admitted he is eager to get back in the ring. “As great as it’s been, I’m also jonesing to be back on the road and be back to do what I love. Making appearances for WWE, like at the NASCAR event, helps soothe the soul of what I’m missing out on. So as great as it’s been, I’m really ready to go back.”
WWE Superstar Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) details his neck surgery he had last month, his timetable and next steps in his recovery, and how he has been enjoying his time away from the ring. pic.twitter.com/hT9eUlMAPR
— Scotte Sprinkle (@ScotteSprinkle) August 23, 2025
Owens has not been given a confirmed timeline for his return, but his goal remains to step back into a WWE ring within the next year.
