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After reports emerged earlier on Friday that a serious injury was putting the WrestleMania 41 match between Kevin Owens and Randy Orton in jeopardy, Owens announced to the crowd on "WWE SmackDown" that he needs neck surgery and will not only miss WrestleMania, but he's not sure when he'll be back in front of fans. General Manager Nick Aldis set the scene and told the crowd there was a reason they say "don't try this at home" and introduced Owens so fans could hear it from him.
Owens said that for the last four months he's been dealing with a pretty serious neck injury, but didn't know what exactly it was until this week. He explained he needs neck surgery and the timing couldn't be worse, because he said not being able to get in the ring with Orton at WrestleMania really sucks. Owens thanked WWE for allowing him to explain the situation to fans, because he wasn't sure when he'll have the privilege to be back in front of them again. He thanked the fans and said he was sorry.
Orton's music hit and he came out to stare at Owens. The pair exchanged looks on the apron before Owens walked up the ramp, leaving "The Viper" in the ring with Aldis. Aldis told Orton that means he no longer has a WrestleMania match, and Orton hit the general manager with an RKO.

