Kevin Owens States That Before His Neck Surgery, It Was Difficult For Him To Run The Ring Ropes

Candid comments from Kevin Owens.

It was in July 2025 that Kevin Owens underwent neck surgery. He returned to in-ring action in August 2026 at WWE SummerSlam night two.

After his return, Owens chatted with Sam Roberts for WWE Now and further opened up about the surgery. He shared that before his operation, it was difficult for him to run the ring ropes.

Owens would go on to say that during his time away from the ring, he would tune into the WWE product and did not understand what the fans liked about what they were seeing.

“A lot happens in wrestling and throughout that time, as I watched, sometimes I watched and thought, ‘Has this passed me by?’ I’m 42 years old. We got the guys like Oba (Femi), Trick (Williams), the younger guys are coming up. I’m not that no more. Can I do the sh*t I used to do? I don’t know. I don’t even know if I could run the ropes yet, you know, as I’m watching this. Because that’s a thing, right? Every scan, I go, ‘Okay, I know I can’t wrestle but can I run the ropes?’ They’re like, ‘Nope. Nope, nope.’ So I’m like, I don’t even know if I can run the ropes because before my surgery, running the ropes was an arduous task. It was difficult. So anyway, as I watch this, I’m like, ‘Maybe I don’t know what this is anymore. Maybe I don’t have the mind for it. I don’t know,’ and quite frankly, I’d watch the show and go, ‘Man, people love this,’ and I go, ‘I don’t get it,’” Owens laughed. “So I was like, ‘Maybe this has passed me by.’”

Owens emerged victorious from a Fatal 4-Way at SummerSlam, and with the win, he earned a shot at CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship.

If the quote in this article is used, please credit WWE Now with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.