Kevin Owens is a no-go for WrestleMania 41.
His WrestleMania match against Randy Orton is off after Owens revealed on SmackDown Friday he has been dealing with a neck injury and needs to have surgery. Owens said he's dealt with the injury for about four months and he didn't know the severity until this week.
"I've been dealing with a pretty serious neck injury, and we didn't know what it was. We didn't really know how serious it was," Owens said. "Thankfully, this week, we managed to figure it out, and now I have to go get neck surgery.
"The timing couldn't be worse."
Owens added it "really sucks" he won't be able to face Orton at WrestleMania. Even though he's been a heel recently, Owens was genuine with the crowd, telling them he doesn't know the next time he'll be able to appear in WWE again. The 40-year-old former WWE champion has been with the company since 2014.
"I'm really thankful for WWE for allowing me to come out here in front of you guys and telling you all that, because the truth is, I don't know when I'll have the privilege to be in front of you guys again," he said. "What I do know is the last few years, I have learned not to take anything for granted, and I will never take this for granted. So, for now, I want to say thank you and I'm sorry, guys."
Say it ain't so...@FightOwensFight has to back out of #WrestleMania due to a neck injury.#SmackDownpic.twitter.com/Drtth3KW2B
— WWE (@WWE) April 5, 2025
It's unknown how long Owens will be out of action or if he'll be able to return to in-ring competition.
Kevin Owens injury impact
Owens' injury is a major blow to what has been one of the most heated storylines heading into WrestleMania. Owens had been on a war path ever since he attacked Cody Rhodes at Bad Blood in October.
Orton tried to knock some sense into Owens after the attack, but Owens instead went after Orton. After several fights, a package piledriver to "The Viper" put him out for months. Orton returned at Elimination Chamber, returned the favor and later challenged Owens to a match at WrestleMania. The two had traded words in the lead-up to their now-canceled match.
Orton was frustrated by the news. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis told him he doesn't have a WrestleMania match anymore. Enraged, Orton hit Aldis with an RKO, giving a sinister look similar to the heel he was in the late 2000s.
It's unknown if Orton will have a WrestleMania match or who his opponent could be. WrestleMania 41 is April 19-20.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:
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