Kevin Owens Details His Neck Fusion Surgery, Says Fusion Was ‘Best Case Scenario’ for His Injury

Kevin Owens is now looking forward to returning to the ring after undergoing neck fusion surgery. As previously reported, the WWE Superstar recently underwent neck surgery in July to deal with an injury that sidelined him earlier this year. Speaking to Scotte Sprinkle at a press conference for NASCAR’s Coke Zero 400 race in Daytona Beach, where Owens served as Grand Marshal, he discussed his neck fusion and recovery. Below are some highlights:

Kevin Owens on undergoing neck fusion surgery: “Yeah, so it was 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, it ended up only being one level, which is the best case scenario for something like this. But you know, the surgery was successful, I had a great doctor. The thing is now, we have to see how the bones fuse, and that’s never — there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work. It’s how my body heals, 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 come back so hopefully that happens.”

On if he’s enjoying the time away from the business with his family: “Yeah, there’s always a silver lining, but you know, with that said, when I started WWE in 2014, we were gone 250 days out of the year. Since then, things have changed, and we actually get to be home a lot more. WWE has changed the scheduled to a point where we get to do this for a living and basically live our dream, but we also get to have, you know, nice family time at home and stuff like that. So, as great as it’s been, I’m also jonesing to be back on the road and back to do what I love. But you know, getting to do stuff like this thanks to WWE, it really 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. But like I said, getting to do events like this is pretty cool.”

A year-long recovery time is typically the minimum for Owens’ type of injury and surgery. As noted, Owens’ recovery timeline will depend on how he heals following the surgery and what he’s physically comfortable with moving forward.

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Scotte Sprinkle, w/ a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

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