Kevin Owens made his surprise return to WWE on Tuesday's edition of SmackDown Live and was promptly put into the main event of Fastlane.

There had been rumors Owens was close to a return as he'd been posting videos on social media saying he was ready to go and close to a return. He did not give an update as to when, nor what show.  Few would have expected him to be announced as a replacement for Kofi Kingston who was set to sign his match contract with Daniel Bryan to open up the Tuesday's edition of SmackDown Live.

After promoting Kingston's rise to the main event of Fastlane, airing a promotional video and touting how deserving he was of the opportunity, Vince McMahon interrupted the proceedings, suggested he needed to ensure the WWE Universe received the best possible matches he could offer and called Kingston unworthy of that spot.

Saying he had someone better, more deserving and more equipped to take on the role of Daniel Bryan's opponent, McMahon re-introduced Owens to the WWE Universe and to the shock of New Day, Bryan, Shane McMahon and Stephanie.

The program cut to commercial with Owens sitting face-to-face with Bryan then returned with Owens discussing his return backstage with a shocked Shane and Stephanie. Owens said he understands Kofi must be disappointed, but more pleased that Vince recognized his value to the industry. In an attempt to appease Kofi, Owens offered to team with Kingston later in the night to take on Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan.

What This Means

Will Kingston somehow work his way back into the match? Did McMahon really just remove a man who served 11 years in the WWE and deserved the spot? He did the same with Becky Lynch recently on Raw and the WWE Universe lost their collective minds. Surely there is something more to this storyline and how it affects Owens will be interesting to watch.

Next: [Rumor] Batista's WrestleMania 35 Match Could Be His Last