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Randy Orton has recalled how he was advised to retire from WWE in-ring competition due to a back problem.
In May 2022, Orton took a break from wrestling amid concerns his injury was worse than first feared. The 14-time World Champion's father Bob Orton Jr. later said doctors told his son to never wrestle again.
Bob Orton Jr. was recently inducted into the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame at a Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling (SICW) event. While at the show, Randy Orton spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter about his serious injury:
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"I had top neurologists telling me that, 'You know what, you had a great career, you have a life after wrestling, and you wanna be comfortable. You don't wanna be in pain the rest of your life. We're gonna fix your back, but you're gonna have to stop wrestling.' The first six months that I was out, I had that in the back of my head, and it was tough. It was mentally very challenging." [7:35 – 7:59]
Orton joined WWE in 2000 and established himself as one of the company's rising stars after moving to the main roster in 2002. Two decades on, the 44-year-old is considered by many to be among the most talented wrestlers of his generation.
How Randy Orton returned to WWE action
In November 2023, Randy Orton made his in-ring comeback at Survivor Series: WarGames after being sidelined for 18 months.
The Viper's return was made possible thanks to advice he received from surgeons who had previously helped mixed martial artists:
"Didn't really know what the future held for me, but I was able to find a couple of doctors that had done the exact surgery that I needed on some MMA guys that went back to the octagon, competed, and were successful and had longer careers, so I knew that these were the doctors that I needed to have put me under and go under the knife with," Orton added. [8:00 – 8:20]
Orton is currently feuding with The Bloodline. He will face Tama Tonga in the King of the Ring semifinals on the May 24 episode of SmackDown.
What would you like to see next from Randy Orton? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Thanks to SICW promoter Herb Simmons for his assistance in making this interview happen. Follow SICW at SICW.ORG.
Please credit Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
