Kevin Owens injury: WWE superstar gives recovery update, potential return timeline after neck fusion

Kevin Owens is well on his way to recovery after undergoing a successful neck fusion last month. If everything goes as planned, the WWE superstar hopes to return next year.

Owens has been absent from WWE programming since April 4 but has periodically updated fans on his condition. Last week, he gave an injury update at the NASCAR 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 event in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“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,” Owens said. “How many levels, all this stuff. Thankfully, it ended up only being one level, which is the best-case scenario for something like this. But the surgery was successful. I had a great doctor.”

Owens, 41, isn’t prepared to set a firm timeline on his return. The former Universal champion must first see how well the surgery sticks.

“The thing is, now, we have to see how the bones fuse, and there’s no guarantee that it’s gonna work,” Owens said. “Some guys had success, some guys didn’t. Fingers crossed, I get to come back to wrestling in the next year. Really don’t know, though. My goal is to come back. Hopefully that’s what happens.” 

Owens hasn’t wrestled since beating Sami Zayn in an unsanctioned match at March’s Elimination Chamber. He had been wrestling with the “brutal” injury for months, but symptoms worsened over time. A planned WrestleMania 41 match with Randy Orton was cancelled once it was apparent Owens required a lengthy recovery. 

More wrestling news, rumors

• Owens isn’t the only notable professional wrestler who needed surgery. Former AEW world champion Swerve Strickland succesfully underwent surgery for a torn menicus, according to a post on his Instagram Story. Strickland last appeared at All Elite Wrestling’s Forbidden Door event on Sunday, losing to unified champion Kazuchika Okada. Strickland’s fellow AEW star Will Ospreay is also planning for surgery soon.