WWE Hall Of Famer, Legendary Tag Wrestler Offers High Praise To Injured Kevin Owens

Although Kevin Owens may not be competing in the ring after announcing that he had sustained a neck injury, WWE Hall of Famer and one half of the Rock N' Roll Express Ricky Morton has given him his flowers in the aftermath of the news.

"Kevin Owens is the blueprint for the modern pro wrestler," Morton wrote on his X page. "Authentic, intense, and endlessly passionate. He connects with fans like few can. Every match, every promo, he leaves it all in the ring. KO doesn't fit the mold. He redefines it. Just thought I would leave my opinion."

Owens shared that he had been dealing with the neck injury over the course of the past four months on Friday's episode of "WWE SmackDown", but did not specify what exactly the injury was or when it had specifically occurred. Reports of the injury having surfaced earlier in the day, much to the frustration of Owens himself.

While Owens was originally slated to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41 later this month, he also shared on Friday that he would have to back out of the match as he had not been medically cleared to compete. Owens and Orton have had no shortage of issues with one another, with Owens having landed a piledriver on Orton in November of last year to keep him off television for a number of months. Orton then returned at WWE Elimination Chamber on March 1 after Owens had defeated longtime friend and rival Sami Zayn in an Unsanctioned Match looking to get his hands on him for the attack and challenged him to the WrestleMania match shortly afterwards.