Kevin Owens Could Miss NEXT YEAR'S WrestleMania Too; Hasn't Had Surgery Yet (WWE News)
WWE is already preparing to lose Kevin Owens for WrestleMania 42 next year.
Fightful Select is reporting that news doing the rounds on Kevin Owens already undergoing surgery is false. Some places had reported that KO went under the knife for serious neck surgery on 7 April. Squashing that, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp has confirmed with sources within the company that this isn't true.
Owens has yet to have his surgery.
The popular star announced on last week's episode of SmackDown that he's been dealing with neck issues for a while and won't be able to wrestle as scheduled against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41. That obviously came as a huge blow to Kev, Randy and WWE as a whole, because the promotion had spent ample time promoting that bout on television.
Owens did tell My Mom's Basement afterwards that he'd be keen to pick right back up on the Orton storyline once he returns from injury, but that's estimated to be anywhere between 6-12 months away. Unfortunately, Fightful also reported that it's looking more likely Kevin is set for a lengthy layoff rather than a quicker 6 month turnaround.
WWE Concerned That KO Could Miss WrestleMania 42
In fact, there are genuine concerns that KO could miss next year's WrestleMania festivities as well.
Fightful did say that this "is not an official timetable", but instead just what "many in the company are assuming". That'd be a huge blow for Owens, WWE and the fanbase alike - missing one 'Mania weekender is bad enough for any top talent, but two on the spin? That'd really suck, and it hopefully won't be the case.
There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Kevin's future over the next 12 months or so. He'll likely know more once the surgery is complete, but fans should expect to wait a long time before they see him listed as active on the WWE roster again.
Orton, who needs a contingency plan for 'Mania, did plant SmackDown GM with an RKO on last week's broadcast, but this week's show seemed to move Randy towards a hastily-scheduled bout vs. Solo Sikoa instead. That'd certainly make sense for both men considering Solo doesn't have much else going on in Las Vegas himself.
Stay tuned for the latest on KO's surgery when it breaks.