The WrestleMania card has been coming together in recent weeks and Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton was recently confirmed for the big show. Ahead of SmackDown it was reported that KO’s status for WrestleMania was in jeopardy due to the former Universal Champion suffering an injury.
During this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Nick Aldis introduced Kevin Owens and The Prizefighter made his way down to the ring. Owens looked upset as he grabbed the mic and said that he’s been doing this for 25 years and he’s confident that he’s given everything he had.
Owens went on to say that there’s a price to pay, and it takes a toll on the body. He said that for the last four months he’s been dealing with a serious neck injury, and now he has to go get neck surgery. KO confirmed that he will not be facing Randy Orton at WrestleMania.
Kevin told the fans that he doesn’t know when he’ll be seeing them again, but he doesn’t take anything for granted. He thanked the fans one more time and apologized then dropped the mic. As KO was leaving Randy Orton’s music hit and The Viper made his way out. Randy Orton looked conflicted as he approached the ring. They briefly stared each other down as Kevin Owens left.
Nick Aldis told Randy Orton that he no longer has a match for WrestleMania and Orton looked extremely disappointed. He took a moment to collect himself then hit Aldis with the RKO.
Say it ain't so…@FightOwensFight has to back out of #WrestleMania due to a neck injury.#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Drtth3KW2B
— WWE (@WWE) April 5, 2025