Kevin Owens‘ emotional return at WWE SummerSlam 2026 marked the end of a long and uncertain road back to the ring.
However, the former Universal Champion has now revealed that one of WWE’s biggest stars played a crucial role in making that comeback possible.
After spending more than a year recovering from a career-threatening neck injury, Owens opened up about the person who pointed him toward the surgeon he believes changed everything.
How Randy Orton helped Kevin Owens’ return at SummerSlam
Speaking on WWE Now: SummerSlam Recap, Owens explained that Randy Orton recommended orthopedic surgeon Dr. Adam Kanter, who previously performed the back surgery that helped revive Orton’s own career.
“I had the best surgeon, Dr. Adam Kanter. I cannot thank him enough for what he did,” Owens said. “Randy Orton actually is the one who put me in touch with him. Randy had worked with Kanter. Adam Kanter is the one who did Randy’s back surgery and saved his career, and he recommended that I talk to Adam Kanter as well.”
Kevin Owens said Orton’s recommendation carried tremendous weight because of the respect he has for “The Viper.”
“I decided to go with Adam Kanter, because if Randy Orton could trust him, there’s not a lot of people in wrestling I respect more than Randy. I trust Adam Kanter.”
Even after surgery, the road back wasn’t smooth. Owens revealed the damage to his spinal cord was severe, and his recovery stalled when his bones weren’t healing as quickly as expected. Multiple scans over several months failed to provide doctors with enough confidence to clear him.
“In my head, I’m like, I’m going to come back before John Cena retires so I can wrestle him one last time,” Owens recalled. “They humored me… They’re like, ‘Yeah, not happening.'”
Fortunately, July finally brought positive news, and Owens returned at SummerSlam after 17 months away, winning the Number One Contender’s Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship in his first bout back. Fittingly, Orton also made his own surprise return during the same event, proving that sometimes an RKO isn’t the only career-saving move “The Viper” has in his arsenal.
Read More: Kevin Nash Says The Undertaker’s Curtain Call Comments Came From ‘Jealousy’
