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The WWE Universe may have seen the last of a former United States Champion inside the squared circle. Former wrestling manager Dutch Mantell recently discussed Kevin Owens' injury and whether he will ever return to in-ring competition.
The Prizefighter bowed out of his scheduled match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41, citing a neck injury. The Canadian wrestler broke his character on WWE SmackDown a few weeks ago and announced that he needed neck surgery.
Rumor has it that KO will remain on the sidelines for the remainder of 2025, and will likely miss next year's WrestleMania as well.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell said he doesn't think Nick Aldis will be Randy Orton's WrestleMania 41 opponent despite the fact that The Viper RKO'd him.
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The former WWE manager feels it could be someone who could put Orton over big time.
"I don't think it's going to be [Nick] Aldis, but I think it will be somebody with a little bit of a track record behind them, and they have a, I don't even think they have a really 50/50 match. I think [Randy] Orton just dominates from the beginning and gives a guy a couple of spots, and then all of a sudden, he beats him," Mantell said.
Mantell also doesn't think Owens will step back inside the squared circle again, given the nature of his injury.
"Now, he says, you know, he's still waiting on Kevin Owens, and they may just be trying to get some time out of this to see if Kevin can come back. But he won't be ready in a month. He won't be ready in three months, maybe six. It could be we'll never see him again. I hope not, but because he was getting a little bit of attention on him," he added. (From 49:40 to 50:28)
Check out the full episode below:
Kevin Owens remains hopeful of making a WWE comeback
In an interview with the My Mom's Basement podcast, KO opened up about the potential timeframe for his recovery.
“I haven’t talked to the surgeon or anything like that yet. I’m going to do all that on Monday. I mean, I know that most of the people who have gone through similar things have probably, you know, six months to eight months to a year. So, I would assume within that range, but I don’t really know. Like I said, it’s all really new right now.”
Kevin Owens, at 40, still has a lot to offer to the wrestling business. The WWE Universe will be holding out hope that The Prizefighter can return sooner than later.
If you carry quotes from the first half of the article, please credit the Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast and give an h/t to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.
