Kevin Owens reveals the scary truth of what happened to his neck

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Following his comeback, Owens took to X to document the journey that brought him back to the ring. He shared a series of X-rays and MRI scans from different stages of his recovery.

The first set of images was taken in July 2025, shortly before he underwent major neck surgery. Kevin Owens also posted scans from December 2025, giving fans a glimpse of how his recovery progressed over the following months. Alongside the MRI and X-ray images, he included photos showing his neck in both extension and flexion.

You can check out the scans below:

The scans highlighted the significant structural damage The Prizefighter had been dealing with before surgery, while also showing the progress made during his rehabilitation. After spending well over a year away from in-ring competition, the veteran has now completed one of the biggest comebacks of his career and is once again in the hunt for WWE’s top prize.

WWE Superstar Kevin Owens admits he pushed for early return to face John Cena one last time

The Prizefighter has revealed that one of the biggest motivations behind his recovery from a career-threatening neck injury was the hope of stepping into the ring with John Cena one final time.

Speaking with Sam Roberts on WWE’s SummerSlam recap show, the former Universal Champion reflected on his rehabilitation and admitted he tried to speed up his recovery. Kevin Owens explained that he underwent surgery on July 18, 2025. While doctors normally schedule the first post-surgery scan after six months, he repeatedly asked for one after only three months because of how quickly he had recovered from an ACL injury earlier in his career.

Owens admitted he convinced himself that his recovery would once again be much faster than expected because he wanted to return before John Cena’s retirement tour concluded.

“So actually, July 18th, 2025, was my surgery. Usually, six months after the surgery is the first scan. I start asking them to do a scan at three months because when I was 20 years old, I had ACL surgery and most people take nine months to get back from that. Took me three, so I’m like, this is the same thing,” he said. “In three months, my bones are fused. Because in my head, I’m like, ‘I’m gonna come back before John Cena retires so I can wrestle him one last time,’ and they humored me and did the scan. They’re like, ‘Yeah, not happening.”

Although that dream match never came together, Kevin Owens has now completed his remarkable comeback. It will be interesting to see when he comes face-to-face with CM Punk.