Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes had a fiery confrontation with Sami Zayn on the taped June 26 episode of SmackDown from London’s O2 Arena. The two have taken many personal shots at each other lately, but this time, Rhodes used the name of an absent WWE star to instigate Zayn. The name is none other than Kevin Owens.
Rhodes and Zayn came face-to-face as their issues heated up over the WWE Championship. During the exchange, Rhodes unexpectedly brought up Owens, who has been away from WWE TV for over a year because of a serious neck injury.
Cody Rhodes uses Kevin Owens to take a personal shot at Sami Zayn
While taking aim at Zayn, Rhodes questioned how he could remain such close friends with Owens.
“What do you expect of me just to keel over and hand you the WWE Championship? That’s not how this works…You know something that I can’t wrap my head around? The fact that you are best friends with Kevin Owens. Oh no! Let’s go there, right? That you’re best friends with Kevin Owens because there’s two main differences I see with you and him. One, Kevin Owens would have come out here, said what he meant, and stabbed me in the front, not the back. And the other, at least Kevin Owens has been WWE Champion,” Rhodes said.
The mention immediately had fans speculating, especially since Owens has not appeared on WWE programming for such a long time. While Rhodes was clearly using Owens as a way to get under Zayn’s skin, many feel it might be another reminder that Owens is still very much part of WWE’s plans.
Owens has been out of action since suffering a serious neck and spinal cord injury. The injury eventually led to neck fusion surgery in July 2025. Recovery from neck fusion surgery can take a long time, often a year or more.
There is still no official date for his return.
Read More: WWE Star Unveils New Finisher During SmackDown Debut — Spoiler
