Kevin Owens: "Fingers crossed, I hope to return to wrestling sometime next year"

Just a couple of weeks before WrestleMania 41, Kevin Owens announced that he would be stepping away from the ring for an indefinite period due to a neck injury. As a result, his match against Randy Orton scheduled for the grand event was canceled. The news came as a shock to both fans and his fellow wrestlers, where the Canadian is highly regarded.

On July 18th, Owens finally underwent cervical fusion surgery. Last weekend, Owens served as the "Grand Marshall" at the Nascar's Coke Zero 400 race held in Daytona Beach, Florida. During his press conference appearance, KO was asked about the operation.

"Yes, I needed cervical fusion. It was very stressful to face that because we really didn't know how serious the fusion was going to be, how many levels, all that kind of stuff. Fortunately, in the end, it was only one level, which is the best possible scenario for something like this. The surgery was a success, I had a great doctor. The issue now is to see how the bones fuse, and there's no guarantee that it will work. It depends on how my body heals; some have done well, others haven't. I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping to return to wrestling in the next year, although I really don't know. My goal is to come back, so I hope that happens," Owens said.

The former Universal champion has already gone through the worst part of the process. Now all that's left is to wait and keep hope that everything goes according to plan. The Canadian is not willing to throw in the towel or end his career in professional wrestling, especially considering the miracles that fans have witnessed in recent years, such as the returns of Bryan Danielson or Edge/Adam Copeland.