It took him 18 months of ups and downs but Randy Orton is finally back performing in a WWE ring.
Orton related his road to recovery in an interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post.
Suffering from back issues and needing surgery, Orton talked with various doctors and neurosurgeons who advised him to start preparing for as life outside the squared circle.
“I was in tears,” Orton told the Post. “I think it’s OK for grown men to f–king cry and I was a little baby. I was so sad that it was being taken away from me.”
The operation went better than expected though giving Orton a new lease on life in the ring which included training with Drew Gulak.
“I did my first RKO in late August and if it wasn’t for Drew I wouldn’t have gotten that little bit of confidence back,” Orton said. “It was until like January where I really started to feel like ‘OK. I got my wheels back under me. I feel like I’m in control. This is what I’m good at dammit.’ It took a second.”
Orton is thankful to be doing what he loved to do again.
“To be given that second chance was all the more important to me and motivating for me to be able to do it as long as I could and not take second for granted.”
Orton also addressed the allegations against Vince McMahon.
“There’s three sides to every story,” Orton said. “Their side, the other side and then the truth. I think a lot more has to come out before I can really speak on any of this. I think that would be the case for any talent that you ask, but I do know about Vince McMahon the man that I’ve known for the past 24 years personally and I owe him for everything he’s done for me. I say that with conviction because I won’t be in this position without a lot of help from him. But if these allegations are true, then it’s some horrible s–t right there. I’m torn. It’s hard.”
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TOP PHOTO: Randy Orton at WWE Friday Night Smackdown at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC, on January 5, 2024. Photo by Ben Lypka.
