Many fans continue to wonder when Kevin Owens will return to the ring. KO has not been seen on WWE television since April 2025. He announced he was bowing out of his match at WrestleMania 41 due to a neck injury, and later had surgery to repair it.
Owens said he hoped to return to active in-ring competition this year, which has led to speculation that he could be close to a return. The Royal Rumble will take place on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Naturally, Owens’ name has come up as a potential surprise entrant.
According to Fightful (via Fightful Select), however, that isn’t likely. The outlet reported status updates on several names who are commonly speculated about ahead of the Rumble. It was noted that Owens was not medically cleared by WWE “as of the weekend of Saturday Night’s Main Event,” which was January 23-25.
Kevin Owens isn’t scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia, either
Furthermore, Owens won’t even be in Saudi Arabia during the Royal Rumble. According to fellow WWE Superstar Michin, she and Owens will be hosting a WWE Watch Party at Dave & Busters in Orlando on Saturday.
Kevin Owens last competed at WWE Elimination Chamber 2025, where he defeated Sami Zayn in an unsanctioned match. He was reportedly scheduled to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, but WWE scrapped the match due to his injury. Orton went on to face Joe Hendry in an open challenge on the biggest stage of them all.
Whenever Owens does return, he wants to form a tag team with Seth Rollins, according to Rollins himself.
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