Major star returns at WWE SummerSlam 2026 Night 2
Kevin Owens is back.
Owens made his WWE in-ring return at SummerSlam on Sunday as a surprise addition to the number one contender’s match between Sami Zayn and Finn Balor. Nick Aldis made the addition after also including Gunther, making it a fatal four way. Owens picked up the win with a superkick and stunner to longtime friend Zayn, earning a future title match against WWE Champion CM Punk.
Dave Meltzer reported shortly before SummerSlam that a major storyline development was set to take place during the match with “several twists.”
A long road to recovery
KO announced shortly before WrestleMania 41 last year that he had to drop out of his planned match against Randy Orton, revealing that he was soon set to undergo surgery for a neck issue that he had been working with. He underwent surgery last July.
Owens has largely been off WWE television since then, though he appeared on the most recent season of LFG. He also congratulated Sami Zayn following his WWE Championship victory, and took part in the WWE NXT Great American Bash tailgate & watch party earlier in the summer.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.