Former Universal Champion Kevin Owens has offered a difficult and candid update on the neck injury that has sidelined him since April. Speaking on Cody Rhodes’ official podcast, So What Do You Wanna Talk About?, Owens confirmed that surgery is scheduled for mid-July, but admitted that the road to recovery has been anything but smooth.
Owens initially revealed on the April 4 episode of SmackDown that his injury would force him to miss WrestleMania 41, and now he’s opened up about the complications he’s facing. He explained that doctors are currently waiting to see how much his spinal cord can heal naturally before proceeding with the operation, which remains uncertain in scope. “It’s been such a frustrating process,” Owens said. “We’re letting my spinal cord heal as much as we can on its own before we go in for the surgery because how extensive the surgery will be depends on how my spinal cord looks when we go in there.”
He went on to express hope that the upcoming procedure will be a standard neck fusion, but acknowledged that more complex surgery might be necessary. Despite feeling symptom-free for months, Owens noted that things took a dramatic turn just recently. “My neck’s been fine. I’m not in pain. I have no symptoms of what you would expect somebody with a spinal cord injury to have,” he said. “In the last week, for some reason, the symptoms all came in one shot. Every symptom you’d expect me to have — the pain in the neck, the stuff going down the arms, the legs not really responding — it’s all been happening. So it’s been pretty f–king brutal. I can’t wait for the surgery.”
Owens’ update casts uncertainty over when he might return to in-ring competition, but his fans will no doubt be wishing him a successful surgery and a safe, speedy recovery in the months ahead.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
