Randy Orton arrived in Barcelona, Spain, earlier today with his wife Kim Kessler accompanying him on WWE’s European Tour. Orton is scheduled to face Carmelo Hayes in a singles match on tonight’s SmackDown broadcast.

The presence of Orton’s wife during the European tour potentially creates a vulnerable target for Kevin Owens. Owens has existing tension with Orton following an attack last November when he delivered a package piledriver to The Viper.

Orton returned at Elimination Chamber and specifically targeted Owens with an RKO. Last Friday on SmackDown, Orton delivered a strong warning directly to The Prizefighter, escalating their conflict.

If Kim attends tonight’s event at ringside during Orton’s match against Hayes, Owens could potentially interfere. Such an attack would not only cost Orton his match but would significantly intensify their rivalry by making it more personal.

This developing situation could be building toward a potential WrestleMania program between the two veterans. Currently, no formal match has been announced for either competitor at the April premium live event.

Hayes also stands to benefit from any potential interference, as the rising star aims to secure a victory over the established 14-time world champion during tonight’s SmackDown broadcast from Spain.

Steve Austin has revealed his main regret about his 2022 in-ring return match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.

Austin made his return to the ring after a 19-year absence in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 38 in Texas.

The WWE Hall of Famer emerged victorious over Owens in the main event, sending the hometown crowd home happy.

In an interview with Zack Heydon of The Takedown On SI, Austin explained that he didn’t have a chance to prepare properly in a ring before the match.

I was happy in a moment, but, you know, they didn’t send me a ring down. I didn’t have any timing. I think they interviewed Triple H, The Undertaker, and Hogan. Each one of them said something that was so true.

Austin noted that each wrestling legend offered accurate predictions about the challenges he would face.

Paul said, you can come back, but you don’t know what you have, because you haven’t been out there. Undertaker said, you’re not going to have any timing. He was right. I didn’t have any timing. Hell, I hadn’t hit a set of ropes in 19 years. Hadn’t thrown a punch in 19 years. Hogan says, you know, you’re just not calloused up. Your body is not as hard as it used to be. And he was right, because when you when you take off, people talk about ring rust, that’s timing. So, I had no timing.

Austin further explained the physical toll wrestling takes on performers.

Hogan was talking about being calloused up … those ropes hurt. Those bumps hurt. If you make a long comeback, it takes you two or three months to get those callouses back, so that your body doesn’t hurt after every single match. You build up an immunity to it, so they each made valid points. And like Paul said, you don’t know what you got until you get out there, because you can think you got it, but you don’t.

Austin admitted that his main regret was working at too quick a pace during the match.

And when I went out there, I think I couldn’t hear the crowd as much as I wanted to. When I watched it back, the crowd was into it. It was very, very loud, yes, but I wish I would have taken more time, savored more moments, and worked the people a little bit more than I did. I think I was in a space of not knowing what I had and trying to be a little too frantic. I could have slowed down drastically and made that better. And I wish that I would have. I haven’t told too many people that, but I told you.

Speculation continues about a potential Austin appearance at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, with some fans wondering if he might help Cody Rhodes against The Rock.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sami Zayn is not actually injured despite WWE’s announcement that he would be out indefinitely. The report confirms that the injury angle from Elimination Chamber is purely storyline, designed to generate audience reaction toward Kevin Owens.

The report notes that this injury angle was not created to give Zayn time away from WWE programming. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter indicates that Zayn could return to action at any point, as the “indefinite” hiatus is part of the ongoing narrative.

WWE previously announced that Zayn would be sidelined indefinitely after an incident with Owens at Elimination Chamber where his neck was apparently injured. This announcement created the impression that Zayn might miss WrestleMania.

Despite WWE suggesting Zayn will be out for an extended period, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he could still become involved in the planned Kevin Owens versus Randy Orton match at WrestleMania. The report mentions that Zayn might specifically impact the conclusion of this contest.

The rivalry between Owens and Zayn continues to develop through this storyline injury angle, building toward potential WrestleMania involvement. This approach provides additional narrative dimension to the ongoing Owens-Orton program.