Randy Orton is back in WWE, and he recently opened up about details of his back injury and admitted he didn’t know if he’d be able to wrestle again.
At Survivor Series on November 25th, Randy Orton competed inside a WWE ring for the first time in 18 months. Speaking to Logan Paul on the latest edition of Impaulsive, the star opened up about his return.
First, Randy Orton made it clear that he intends to finish out his career in WWE, saying he’s thankful for a second lease on life after nearly being forced to retire from in-ring competition.
“I’m like the only guy that’s never left and come back, other than John Cena. I’m going to be here for the rest…this is me. I’m not moving on to Hollywood. I love what I do.
“I just had 18 months off recovering from spinal fusion. I was kind of faced with the fact that I might not be able to do this again. It’s almost like I got a second lease on my career here. I’m not going to take a day for granted. Not a second in that ring for granted. Even now, more so than the matches you would have seen a year ago when you first started or a couple years ago, I’m feeling even more in my element now.”
“I Changed A Lot Of Stuff These Last 18 Months” – Randy Orton
When Logan Paul pointed out that he looked to be in great shape, Randy Orton explained that he had to make a lot of changes in the time he was away from WWE. He went into detail about the severity of his injury, praising former tag team partner Matt Riddle for helping keep him safe before his hiatus from the ring.
“I changed a lot of stuff off these last 18 months. I really needed the time. I had a lot of ailments. I couldn’t stand for more than a couple minutes without having pain shoot down my legs. When I would sit, I had a disc slipping every time I would bend. On a plane, sitting here, my feet would go numb and I had pain shooting down my legs. It really sucked. It was really hard.
“That last year, before I had to leave because of the back, I was in a tag team with former WWE superstar Matt Riddle. I have to give him props because that year we tagged together, I was not able to be in the ring unless i was in there with someone like him. He was able to take the brunt of the physicality. He tagged me in, I come in, do my shit. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it that far.
“I had some great doctors, they fixed me up right. They didn’t cut through any muscle, which would enable me to get back in the ring. Once you start cutting muscle, that’s never going to heal back. You’re done. I’m blessed, all the way around.”
Randy Orton returned to Raw on the November 27th episode, helping boost ratings for the red brand alongside an also-returning CM Punk. However, on December 1st, Orton made it clear that he’s going to be part of the SmackDown roster going forward as he has his sights set on The Bloodline.
h/t Fightful