WWE's Kevin Owens Discusses Neck Injury with Cody Rhodes and Needing to Have Surgery

Kevin Owens provided an update this week on the neck injury that has kept him out of action since before WrestleMania 41.

During an appearance on Cody Rhodes' What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), divulged that he needs surgery on his neck and is looking forward to getting it (1:10:45 mark):

"I can't wait to get the surgery," Owens said. "Not just to get back in the ring, but to not be in pain. It's hard waking up every day and feeling like your body's failing you. I've never been good at sitting still, but this time I have no choice."

Owens added that before undergoing surgery, he is waiting for his spinal cord to heal as much as it can on its own since the extent of the surgery depends on his spinal cord.

At the 1:11:35 mark of the interview, Owens said he underwent an MRI the first week of April, and it was at that point that he had to stop wrestling because he was told, "Don't even get hit because you might die."

Owens had been scheduled to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41 after Orton made his return from an injury suffered at the hands of KO.

Orton confronted Owens following his victory over Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber in March, and all the pieces were in place for an Owens vs. Orton grudge match on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

However, the match against Zayn proved to be Owens' final one before stepping away, as he could no longer ignore the pain and discomfort his neck was causing him.

Owens explained to Rhodes what led up to him having no choice other than sideline himself and address the issues he was having with his neck.

"It sucks, but it is what it is," Owens said. "For months, I thought I could tough it out. The pain would come and go, some days were better, some worse. But the last week? Everything caught up with me. The numbness, the weakness … it all hit at once. That's when I knew—it's not getting better on its own."

Owens was the heel in his rivalry with Orton, but when he made the legitimate announcement about his neck and the need to take time off, WWE fans quickly embraced him.

Orton went on to face a surprise opponent at WrestleMania 41 with then-TNA world champion Joe Hendry answering his open challenge. The Viper was victorious in a short match.

Since Owens announced his injury publicly, there have been some conflicting reports about whether he underwent surgery or needed it, but Owens confirmed to Rhodes that surgery is inevitable.

KO did not provide any type of timeline for when or if he may be able to return to the ring, but his comments suggest that surgery should go a long way toward improving his quality of life at the very least.

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