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During an appearance on the WWE's Summerslam Post Show, Kevin Owens noted he was only given the clearance to return to the ring a few weeks ago by doctors.
"There was a moment I thought it wasn’t going to happen, and I definitely did not make peace with it," Owens said. "I was not ready. Getting this taken away from you when you’re not ready is hard. But I had such a great group of people around me to support me through it through it: my wife, my kids, my friends, the WWE medical staff, even you [referring to Big E]. I would talk to you a lot, but I was never okay with it. Up to a month ago, I was like, ‘This may be it’. We kept doing scans; it kept not showing what we were hoping for as far as the healing process from the surgery, then I was like, ‘Well maybe it’s not gonna happen.’ Then a couple of weeks ago, they said, ‘We finally saw what we needed to see; you can get back in the ring.’ ”
Owens will head to Smackdown to begin what looks to be a program with CM Punk this week.
When asked about his family's reaction to his return last night, Owens commented, "Yeah, everybody's super happy. Everybody was there to support me, and it was incredible to have them here. And, you know, my parents were at home, and I called them as well when I was done, just to make sure everybody knew that I was relatively okay, as okay as you can be after such a demanding match. But yeah, I did want to make a point. Like, I'm not back to half-ass this stuff. And I've been told by everyone, the WWE medical staff, my family, everybody, even my surgeon, 'Please be careful.' And I told all of them, 'Okay, I'll be careful.' I'm never being careful. I am giving everything I have, always! If that means I'm done in two years, it means I'm done in two years. But we're going to have a blast for two years. Hopefully, it's longer than that, but you're never getting less than everything I have. I promise you that."
Owens also paid tribute to AEW's Tanea Brooks while reflecting on his return.
"Before I go, I just want to say this. I'm so thankful for so many people. I just said it—my family, my parents, Big E, my friends, everyone. I need to say these people's names: Tara and Sean, the physical trainers at the Performance Center that have helped me get back on my feet. Adam Canter and his assistant Gina, the surgeon that performed the surgery on me. Without them, I would not be here. I owe them so much, and things were tough, and when things weren't looking great, I would look around me at what could help me get through the tough times, and there's somebody called Tanea Brooks, who's known to wrestling fans as Rebel. She has not wrestled here, but some things are bigger than wrestling. She's currently battling ALS, and the way she's doing it is so incredible. I looked at her, and what she was going through, and the way she powers through it, and it was truly inspirational. So I want to thank everyone I just mentioned, because everybody helped me so much. Thank you."
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