WWE officially bids goodbye to SmackDown star for now

The WWE roster has been plagued by injury woes en route to WrestleMania 41. One particular match is already off the table due to an untimely injury to SmackDown Superstar Kevin Owens.

WWE recently sent a message to the Canadian star after he took a leave of absence. Last week on SmackDown, Kevin Owens revealed that he had been battling through neck pain for the last four months. KO said he had been told to undergo surgery and would no longer be able to compete against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41.

On its official Instagram handle, WWE recently thanked KO and bid goodbye to him for now. In the post's caption, the company sent the following message to him:

"Can't wait for the comeback."

Check out the Instagram post below.

---

When will Kevin Owens return to WWE?

Kevin Owens will likely face a lengthy spell on the sidelines. There's no official word on when he is planning to go under the knife. But given the nature of his injury, he will be out of action for the foreseeable future. Several within the company reportedly believe that he could even miss WrestleMania 42 in New Orleans.

WWE has yet to announce his replacement to face Randy Orton at The Showcase of the Immortals. The Viper came face-to-face with Nick Aldis last night. Orton gave Aldis an ultimatum that if he doesn't find an opponent for him, he won't apologize to his wife, Mickie James, for what he would do to the SmackDown general manager.

The Apex Predator also teased dragging Nick Aldis out of retirement, saying, “Maybe you lose the suit for a night and gear up too."

Later in the show, Randy Orton joined forces with LA Knight to beat Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga in a tag team match. The show ended with Sikoa and Orton brawling throughout the arena.

After what went down between Sikoa and Orton this past Friday, a match between the two could be on the cards for WrestleMania 41.

---