Kevin Owens returns from injury at SummerSlam, earns WWE title shot against CM Punk

[AlwaysReadyAaron76]

Kevin Owens made a genuinely stunning surprise return at SummerSlam after being sidelined for around 17 months following serious neck surgery, and he didnt just show up to a nice ovation, he immediately became the new number one contender for CM Punks Undisputed WWE Championship

The whole thing was set up as a fairly standard Sami Zayn versus Finn Balor number one contenders match to open SummerSlam Sunday, but SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis first added Gunther to the mix, the man who had beaten Aldis himself the previous night, and then dropped an even bigger bombshell by adding a fourth competitor, Owens made his entrance to a massive pop from the crowd who had no idea he was even cleared to return

Owens and Zayn actually shared a genuine hug before the bell rang, playing on their long real life and on screen friendship, but the match itself was intense from the opening bell, Owens hit Swanton Bombs and stunners throughout the fatal four way before ultimately delivering the decisive stunner to Zayn specifically to pick up the pinfall win, Zayn was reportedly furious about the whole situation given hed just lost the WWE Championship himself a little over a month earlier and had specifically demanded to be included in the actual title match at SummerSlam rather than fighting for a shot at it

This sets up a genuinely fresh and layered feud between Owens and Punk, the two men have real history together going back over two decades to their time together in Ring of Honor, and fans immediately started digging up old comments Owens had made about Punk years ago that suddenly read very differently now that theyre about to collide on WWEs biggest stage, Punk himself successfully retained his title against Cody Rhodes in the SummerSlam main event the previous night, so this program is building toward what should be a genuinely emotionally charged first time encounter between the two

Its worth noting Owens has actually only won one world title in his entire decade plus WWE run despite being consistently regarded as one of the best performers on the roster, so there's a real appetite among fans to see him finally get rewarded with sustained championship success, and pairing him against Punk specifically gives WWE a genuinely fresh top program to build around now that the SummerSlam dust has settled

Kevin Owens Returns at SummerSlam, Sets Up WWE Title Match vs. CM Punk After Fatal 4-Way Winbleacherreport.com

[Foundry69]

The genuine hug between Owens and Zayn before immediately turning around and fighting each other for real is such a perfect summary of their entire on screen relationship over the years, that duality is exactly why fans love this pairing so much

[Reuben82]

Only winning one world title in over a decade despite being this consistently good is honestly one of the bigger booking oversights of the last several years, hes earned way more sustained championship success than WWE has actually given him

[Ethan93]

Zayn being furious about not getting directly inserted into the actual title match himself after specifically demanding it is a great storyline beat, gives his frustration real motivation going forward rather than just being upset for no reason

[Anchor99]

The real life Ring of Honor history between Owens and Punk from over two decades ago is going to make every promo between these two genuinely must watch, that kind of authentic shared history is impossible to manufacture with a fresh program

[Router53]

17 months out with a serious neck injury and coming back directly into a fatal four way match at SummerSlam is a bold move, hope hes actually fully healed given how career threatening neck injuries can be long term for wrestlers

[Rosie_81]

Punk versus Owens as a first time ever encounter on this big a stage is a fresh top program that WWE needed after all the recent Punk feuds with Rhodes, Balor, Zayn and Gunther, glad theyre not immediately running it back with someone hes already faced

[Coder65]

Adding Gunther and then Owens on top of an already good Zayn versus Balor match turned this into one of the most unpredictable and star making opening segments SummerSlam has had in years, that kind of surprise escalation is exactly what makes live wrestling events feel special

[Rapid Ava]

The crowd reaction alone when Owens music hit tells you everything about how beloved he still is despite the long absence, that kind of instant emotional pop from fans is genuinely hard to manufacture and speaks to real career long goodwill

[Batista]

This is exactly the kind of surprise return moment that makes SummerSlam feel like appointment viewing, nobody expected Owens back this soon and pairing it directly with a fresh top title program was a great way to maximize the surprise