In the world of professional wrestling, sometimes reality collides with the realm of performance art, as is the case with Kevin Owens, one of WWE’s top superstars. It’s been reported that the injury angle played out on the recent episode of Monday Night Raw involving Kevin Owens isn’t just a part of the storyline, it’s real.
Kevin Owens has been dealing with a legitimate injury, according to multiple sources, including Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, who claimed that the 39-year-old WWE superstar is reportedly nursing a fractured rib, an injury he’s been working with “for a while.”
The recent Raw storyline was devised to afford Owens some much-needed rest and recovery time, but it leaves his partner, Sami Zayn, hanging.
This latest development adds an unexpected twist to the ongoing rivalry between Owens, his tag team partner Sami Zayn, and The Judgment Day. Owens and Zayn, the reigning Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, have been embroiled in this feud leading up to a North American Championship match between Zayn and Dominik Mysterio on Raw. It was during this match that The Judgment Day attacked Owens, causing a distraction that led to Mysterio’s victory.
Subsequent scenes depicted Owens being tended to by trainers backstage, clearly in significant discomfort. This moment, although initially thought to be part of the scripted narrative, was an actual reflection of Owens’ real-life situation.
The condition of Owens’ rib injury and his recovery timeline remain undisclosed, which leaves the status of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles uncertain.
Owens and Zayn have successfully defended their titles on multiple occasions since their victory at WrestleMania 39 back in April. With Owens’ injury now public knowledge, WWE may need to reevaluate its plans for the pair.
It’s a given now that Owens and Zayn will drop their titles. The only questions are, when is this happening and is the WWE going to split up the titles?
The WWE’s Tag Team titles were unified last year when The Usos successfully won the RAW Tag Team Championship belts on the May 20, 2022 episode of Friday Night SmackDown from Randy Orton and Matt Riddle.
Ironically, if the WWE does split up the Tag Team titles to both brands, it will happen due to a real-life injury as well. It’s believed that the RK-Bro dropped their title belts to The Usos to give Orton time to rest and recuperate following a back injury that has since kept him out of the WWE for more than a year.
Given that Finn Balor is already booked to face Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on August 5 at SummerSlam, there’s room for speculation that Owens and Zayn could lose their titles to Mysterio and Damian Priest at the same event, provided Owens’ health permits him to participate. However, it’s still unclear if Owens’ injury will cause a shift in plans or if the pair will be compelled to relinquish their titles. The company will likely address these uncertainties in the coming days.
In addition to Owens, Liv Morgan is also dealing with a real injury, a detail incorporated into the show using a similar injury angle. Morgan’s injured shoulder was storyline-targeted by Rhea Ripley, part of The Judgement Day, who brutalized Morgan’s arm with a steel chair ahead of their scheduled match.
Fans and fellow wrestlers alike hope for a swift recovery for both Owens and Morgan, demonstrating that behind all of the theatrics and narratives, the risks and challenges faced by these athletes are very real.
Speaking of Randy Orton, what if the WWE brought The Viper back, not as a heel with The Judgment Day, as per rumors, but as a face again with his former partner, Matt Riddle? There’s an ongoing theory that The Legend Killer betrays everyone he works with in the WWE except for the Original Bro. Their title reign was met with positive reactions by fans and it would give The Judgment Day another legitimate threat to contend with, so who knows?
