Having wrestlers get attacked to give them reasons to be away for real life injuries is a tradition almost as old as the wrestling business itself, and WWE has The Judgment Day to gleefully attack anyone who might need time away, be it a little or a lot. This week on Raw, the group played its part again, assaulting both Kevin Owens and Liv Morgan, and as it turns out, both wrestlers are dealing with legitimate injuries.
Owens was ringside for Sami Zayn’s attempt to dethrone NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio (which is still slightly weird to type) but was ejected by the referee along with Dom’s Judgment Day teammates. We next saw him getting rolled out on the ramp by Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley in pain, providing enough of a distraction for Mysterio to win the match.
As it turns out, Owens has a fractured rib that he’s been working through “for a while,” according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp chimed in on X (which is apparently what we should call it now) to say it’s unknown if KO will miss any time, or how much if he does.
Beats me. But Kevin Owens is injured.
Several wrestlers stayed on TV through injuries. I don't know if he will or not, or even if he'll miss in-ring time.
But just to repeat — 100 percent, he's battling a real injury. https://t.co/wrG3L2MG8n
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) July 25, 2023
Morgan was supposed to have a match with Ripley, who proceeded to attack her during her ring walk and simply maul her instead of meeting for an actual bout. Bryan Alvarez, also of Wrestling Observer Radio, reported that Morgan’s issue is with her right shoulder, and that it’s unclear when she suffered the injury or how bad it is.
Morgan’s situation is an especially big bummer as she only recently returned from an injury that forced her and partner Raquel Rodriguez to relinquish the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. After regaining the titles, the two women lost them in short order to Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville, a move that makes more sense in this context.
Owens, meanwhile, is still one half of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions with Zayn, so hopefully they won’t have to drop those belts due to his ailment. At this point, the best sign would be if he doesn’t get attacked by The Judgment Day again any time soon.