Kevin Owens Wanted to Wrestle John Cena Before His WWE Retirement
Kevin Owens aimed to return before John Cena’s last match
In July 2024, Cena announced his retirement tour for the following year, and, as part of that, he’d go on to have memorable marchers with some of his biggest rivals throughout his career, with Randy Orton, CM Punk, and AJ Styles all among those who got to mix it up with the 17-time world champion one last time. However, one name that couldn’t face Cena again was Kevin Owens, who was sidelined with injury following Elimination Chamber 2025, only makimg his return this past Sunday at Summerslam. Now, the Canadian has explained how he hoped his return could be a lot earlier.
Speaking on WWE Now, Owens shared how he had hoped to return for one more match with Cena:
“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. 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.’ They humored me and did the scan. They’re like, ‘Yeah, not happening.’ I did another scan at four months because I wanted to come back in Montreal in January. They’re like, ‘We can’t do it.’ Did another scan at six months which is when I was supposed to do it, and they’re like, ‘It’s still not right. We’re not doing a scan for another long while.’”
-Kevin Owens
When Kevin Owens first arrived on the WWE main roster in May 2015, he made an immediate impact by attacking John Cena. This began a popular feud, with the pair trading wins on pay-per-view before Cena won the final bout in the trilogy at Battleground. Unfortunately for the former NXT Champion, Cena would retire in December 2025, wrestling GUNTHER in his final match before Owens was able to return. Since retiring, the legend has continued to appear on WWE TV in non-wrestling roles.
Owens’ return at Summerslam saw him compete in a four-way match also featuring GUNTHER, Finn Balor, and longtime friend Sami Zayn. “The Prizefighter” is a former Universal, Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team Champion in WWE, as well as being a former ROH World Champion. Now, he’s eyeing CM Punk and the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Following his WWE return, Kevin Owens took a moment to mention Tanea Brooks’ ongoing ALS battle, praising the former AEW name as a big inspiration to him. You can read more on his comments here.
For the latest news on Kevin Owens and WWE, we will keep updated as soon as we hear more.
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