Injury Update On WWE Star Kevin Owens

Last week on "WWE SmackDown," Kevin Owens announced that he has a neck injury that will require surgery. He'll miss his scheduled match against Randy Orton at WWE WrestleMania 41, and it's unclear when Owens will be back in the ring.

Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer stated that Owens successfully underwent surgery earlier this week. Meltzer also shared what he knows about the type of injury Owens is dealing with and how long it may keep him away from WWE. For most wrestlers, the recovery time is somewhere between a year and 15 months, though Owens believes the timeframe could be as short as six months.

The exact nature of his injury hasn't been publicly disclosed, but Owens has revealed he hurt his neck during a match in January. For several months, the wrestler didn't realize how bad things were. A recent MRI then made it immediately clear to doctors that Owens had to step back.

Meltzer also wrote that the majority of wrestlers who undergo the surgery Owens had return to the ring eventually. Owens himself acknowledged that he's "pretty likely" to wrestle again, which does indicate a level of uncertainty.

Owens most recently wrestled early last month at WWE Elimination Chamber in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He defeated longtime friend/rival Sami Zayn in a violent unsanctioned match and went on to pick up a feud against Orton. Following Owens' announcement on "SmackDown," Orton hit General Manager Nick Aldis with an RKO, and Aldis is set to provide an update to the storyline during tonight's show.