WWE officially announced that its first Saturday Night’s Main Event of 2026 will take place in Canada on Saturday, January 24 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
The event will be part of a special weekend partnership between WWE and Tourism Montreal, which also includes a city-backed site fee to host the shows. The Friday night before, WWE will present a live episode of SmackDown from the same venue, creating a two-night spectacle for fans in the region.
However, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com, local favorite Kevin Owens will not be making his in-ring return during the Montreal weekend.
Meltzer noted that Owens’ current recovery timeline makes an early 2026 return “very unlikely,” despite the Montreal native being an obvious choice for the high-profile shows.
Owens has been sidelined since undergoing major neck surgery in July 2025, which forced him to withdraw from his scheduled match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41 Night 2. Recovery from such a procedure generally takes over a year, meaning fans may have to wait a bit longer to see “The Prize Fighter” back in action.
Still, there are positive signs of progress.
Kevin Owens resurfaced on social media this week, sharing a video from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. While he wasn’t taking bumps or working in the ring, the clip showed him performing short sprint drills (see video below). This is an encouraging indicator that his rehab is moving in the right direction following his major neck surgery back in July.
We will keep you posted here at WrestlingHeadlines.com as updates regarding the WWE return status of Kevin Owens continues to surface.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 1/24 for live WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event results from “The Great White North.”
— Kevin (@FightOwensFight) November 7, 2025
WWE is taking over the Bell Centre in Montreal back-to-back nights with Friday Night #SmackDown on Friday, January 23, followed by Saturday Night’s Main Event on Saturday, January 24! 🇨🇦
Two-day combo tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 7, at 10e/7p! https://t.co/fySc5DsLM0 pic.twitter.com/aN4y4KU5e6
— WWE (@WWE) November 4, 2025