WWE SmackDown April 4: Kevin Owens to undergo neck surgery, miss WrestleMania 41

Kevin Owens is set to miss WrestleMania 41 because of a neck injury. The ¡®Prizefighter¡¯ shared the devastating news on tonight¡¯s edition of SmackDown. This means his scheduled match against Randy Orton at the ¡®Show of Shows¡¯ stands cancelled.

Kevin Owens to miss WrestleMania 41

Randy Orton was set to take on Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 41 in one of the most eagerly awaited matches of the night. However, this is no longer the case. On April 4, KO announced that he will miss 'The Show of Shows' as he needs a neck surgery. He went on to say 'sorry' to the fans. Post this, Randy Orton made his way to the ring and asked him to 'fix' himself.

.@RandyOrton is in disbelief and took it out on @RealNickAldis ?#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/M4a89Oabbv

¡ª WWE (@WWE) April 5, 2025

Nick Aldis-- SmackDown's GM-- then told the 'punter' that he no longer has an opponent for Mania 41, prompting the former 'Legend Killer' to nail the authority figure with an RKO.

All about Randy Orton, Keven Owen's feud

Randy Orton and KO's rivalry started when the latter put the veteran on the shelf by hitting him with a 'package piledriver', a banned move. The master of the RKO returned nearly four months later at the Elimination Chamber event and stopped Owens from ending Sami Zayn's career. The two then came face-to-face on SmackDown where Orton threatened to punish his foe for his actions. KO later got one over on the veteran by costing him a match against Drew McIntyre on the blue brand. Their now-cancelled WrestleMania 41 match would have helped their feud reach an organic conclusion.