Kevin Owens Shockingly RETURNS To WWE At SummerSlam 2026 Sunday (WWE News)
Kevin Owens is BACK... and the new number one contender for CM Punk's WWE Championship.
Having not wrestled since March 2025, Kevin Owens made his surprise WWE return at SummerSlam last night. And not just that, but KO is now the new number one contender for CM Punk's WWE Championship.
In SummerSlam Night 2's opening match of Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor, reappointed SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis came out to announce that, as an act designed to show there were no hard feelings towards his own SummerSlam opponent, Gunther was being added to that contest. With a triple-threat match about to get underway, Aldis said that he wasn't quite done, and that a fourth man would be joining the bout. After a dramatic pause, Kevin Owens' music hit as the U.S. Bank Stadium crowd went wild.
Looking in phenomenal shape, Owens would eventually win out, scoring the 1-2-3 at around nine minutes after hitting Sami Zayn with the Stunner. Given that the initial Zayn vs. Balor match was designed to establish who was next in line to face the WWE Champion, that means that Kevin Owens is now up next for a shot at the prize still held by CM Punk; Punk getting his own win over Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam Night 1.
For Kevin Owens, this was his first match since facing Sami Zayn at last year's Elimination Chamber. Unfortunately, the former Universal Champion was forced to miss WrestleMania 41 due to neck issues, and he'd later undergo surgery that July. With serious questions over whether Kevin would ever be able to return to the ring, reports started circulating late last week that his potential return may be on the horizon. As we saw last night, Owens is indeed back, and we've now got the mouthwatering prospect of a rivalry with CM Punk on the table.