Kevin Owens Won't Compete at WWE WrestleMania 41, Needs Surgery for Neck Injury

Kevin Owens announced that he will be unable to participate in WrestleMania 41, where he was scheduled to face Randy Orton, due to impending neck surgery.

Owens revealed the news on Friday's edition of SmackDown.

"The reality is: For the last four months or so, I've been dealing with a pretty serious neck injury," Owens said.

"We didn't know what it was, we didn't really know how serious it was. Thankfully this week, we managed to figure it out, and now I have to go get neck surgery. So that's what I'm going to do, and the timing couldn't be worse, 'cause let me tell you, not getting to be in the ring with Randy Orton at WrestleMania really sucks."

Owens added that he didn't know "when I'll have the privilege to be in front of you guys again."

Owens and Orton were set up to deliver an epic and highly anticipated match at WrestleMania 41, which will take place in Las Vegas on April 19 and 20. The feud had been brewing and was set to build up even more over the next few weeks.

To go back to the beginning, Orton and Owens were once close friends, even teaming up together on multiple occasions against Bloodline members Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga, but their dynamic changed after KO attacked Cody Rhodes at Bad Blood back in October.

Angry over Rhodes' decision to team with Roman Reigns at the event despite what Reigns and The Bloodline had put them through in the past, Owens brutally beat down Rhodes in the parking lot.

Owens continued to harass Rhodes in the weeks that followed, causing Orton to step in and attempt to play peacemaker.

An enraged Owens attacked Orton in retaliation and accused The Viper of choosing Rhodes over their friendship.

That led to a match at Crown Jewel, however, the match never happened since Owens and Orton brawled through the arena before the bell rang.

On the ensuing episode of SmackDown in November, Orton and Owens had another confrontation, and it ended with KO dropping Orton on his head with a piledriver.

Orton had to be stretchered out of the arena and he was absent from WWE programming for months, during which time Owens feuded with Rhodes for the WWE Championship.

After KO fell short in his attempt to win the WWE title, he entered into a rivalry with longtime friend Sami Zayn, and they had an unsanctioned match at Elimination Chamber in Toronto last month.

Owens won the match and attempted to inflict further damage on Zayn afterward, but Orton made his surprise return and hit Owens with an RKO.

That led to the official announcement of their WrestleMania match shortly thereafter, and in the weeks leading up to the Showcase of the Immortals, Orton and Owens were constantly at each other's throats.

They were going to have the opportunity to settle things once and for all on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Unfortunately, Owens is now out due to neck surgery, and the match will not take place.

Most importantly, though, the hope is that Owens undergoes a successful procedure and is able to return to 100 percent health in short order.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.