Kevin Owens endED a 17-month absence by winning a high-stakes Fatal 4-Way match to become the No.1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship. (Image via X)Kevin Owens has recently stunned the WWE universe with a surprise return to the wrestling ring at SummerSlam 2026 Night 2, ending a 17-month absence by winning a high-stakes Fatal 4-Way match and becoming the No.1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The victory immediately puts Kevin Owens to lock horns with the defending WWE Undisputed champion CM Punk.According to WWE, during the championship, Kevin Owens entered on fire, repeatedly cannonballing Bálor and Gunther as Sami Zayn watched in shock. The two, who ended their terms on a bitter note during Royal Rumble 2025, embraced each other before unloading on their rivals with strikes, and concluded his comeback by letting Zayn win the bout. This was his first appearance since his injury in 2025, which made him miss several WWE Premium Live Events. Let’s take a look at the WWE star's injury journey and his WWE comeback in 2026.Reason behind WWE star Kevin Owens' long absence from WWE and his stunning comeback with SummerSlamWWE star Kevin Owens stunned the WWE Universe with his surprise return, ending his long hiatus from WWE and earning the Undisputed WWE Championship opportunity against CM Punk. Following his surprise return to the ring, Owens received a thunderous ovation as he walked to the ring for his first WWE appearance since suffering a serious neck injury that forced him to undergo surgery and sidelined him for well over a year. The emotional comeback briefly saw Owens and his longtime friend Sami Zayn embrace before the match erupted into chaos.Owens' injury was reported in 2025, when the WWE star was preparing for his upcoming big bout against The Viper, Randy Orton, at WrestleMania 41. But his unfortunate neck injury led to his exit from the Show of Shows, creating a setback in his WWE career. The reason behind his neck injury occurred in January 2025, during a regular match. Though he has not specified the exact cause of the injury, reports suggest that during this regular match, two moments jarred his neck, and that’s when the issues started.The player later ended up doing an MRI and found that it was serious. This issue forced him to withdraw from his scheduled WrestleMania 41 match against Randy Orton. The star finally recovered after he underwent a neck fusion surgery.His last appearance with WWE was earlier during a match in the Elimination Chambers PLE on March 1, 2025. During the Elimination Chambers match, when Sami Zayn was defeated by Kevin Owens, after brutally thrashed inside the ring. To everyone’s surprise, Randy Orton made a shocking comeback to save Zayn and attacked Kevin Owens brutally, until he was stopped by the WWE officials. Following this match, Owens was not seen in action until his SummerSlam 2026 appearance.The Fatal 4-Way featured several key moments, with Gunther using his power, Bálor relying on speed, and Zayn nearly securing the victory on multiple occasions. In the closing moments, Owens capitalized by delivering his signature Stunner to Zayn before scoring the final pinfall to secure the title opportunity. The matchup saw a reunion of Sami Zayn and Owens, and one of the most accomplished stars of the company achieving the top prize after overcoming a career-threatening injury.