Just days after confirming he’s out of WrestleMania 41, Kevin Owens has shed more light on the injury that’s taken him off the road — and it turns out, the damage may not have come from one of his high-risk, headline-grabbing matches.
During an appearance on the My Mom’s Basement podcast ahead of this week’s WWE SmackDown, Owens candidly spoke about his neck issues, revealing that the injury likely happened during a routine match in January, not during his more extreme outings like his ladder match with Cody Rhodes or his Unsanctioned Match with Sami Zayn.
“25 years in, with the stuff I’ve done, I feel like it was bound to happen,” Owens said. “It sucks. The timing sucks, for sure… but I felt great even recently. This wasn’t something constant. It was just something that didn’t feel right the last few months.”
Owens explained that he had undergone a full-body MRI back in December — mostly out of curiosity — and while it revealed wear and tear (including his well-documented knee issues), doctors at the time gave him the green light. But a match in January changed everything.
“There were two things that really jarred my neck,” he recalled. “That’s when the issues started. I knew something was wrong. This week we did another MRI and found out it’s serious.”
So serious, in fact, that WWE’s medical team told Owens he wouldn’t be cleared for WrestleMania. That revelation hit hard.
“I was so shocked I almost stopped listening,” Owens admitted. “I knew something was up, but I didn’t think it was that bad. I thought we’d take care of it after WrestleMania.”
Unfortunately, that’s not how things played out. Owens now faces neck surgery and is staring down an uncertain recovery timeline. He hasn’t yet consulted with a surgeon but believes he could be out anywhere from six months to a year.
Missing Randy Orton at WrestleMania: “That Bugs Me the Most”
Perhaps the most painful part of the timing is that Owens was set to face Randy Orton in a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 41 — a dream bout for KO.
“That’s the part that bugs me the most,” he said. “I know I’ll be back. At least I hope I will. But this year was supposed to be me vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania. That’s huge for me.”
Owens took some solace in the fact that he shared the ring with Orton last year — albeit in a multi-man match he jokingly noted included “that other annoying guy” (take your guess on that one).
Injury Came from a “Regular Match”
In a fascinating twist, Owens pushed back against fans assuming his injury must have come from a violent spot in one of his more chaotic matches.
“It happened in a regular match,” Owens clarified. “No hardcore things. Nothing. Just two very simple things I’ve done a million times. That’s what’s funny about it. Sometimes it’s just bad luck — and I think in that match, those two things were just this much off.”
He also addressed fan criticism and misconceptions surrounding his in-ring style and recent use of barbed wire, pointing out that just because he didn’t bleed doesn’t mean it wasn’t legit.
“Our entire craft is making people believe something that’s not actually happening — and I’m very good at that,” he said. “Some people will never believe me anyway, and that’s fine.”
What’s Next?
As of now, Owens will undergo surgery soon and meet with specialists to finalize his recovery plan. There’s no concrete timeline for his return, but he remains hopeful and focused on coming back strong.
For now, the KO Show is on pause — but if we’ve learned anything about Kevin Owens over the last 25 years, it’s that this isn’t the end. Just the next chapter.
Stay with Wrestling News Blog for updates on KO’s surgery, recovery timeline, and the fallout from his WrestleMania absence.
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