14-Time WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton is currently out of action with a back injury.
He hasn’t wrestled since May 2022 and was written off WWE programming after a vicious storyline assault by Roman Reigns.
Orton underwent a lower back fusion surgery, which resulted in the original plan for the SummerSlam 2022 main event being canceled – Roman Reigns (c) vs. Randy Orton for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Last month, the Wrestling Observer reported that Orton is nowhere close to returning to in-ring action as he hasn’t been cleared yet.
In a new interview with Bill Apter, Randy’s father, WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton, revealed that the Doctors have advised Randy to retire for the sake of his health.
Below is what Bob said:
“He’s training, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know. If he feels like he’s ready to go back, I think he might, but again he’s pretty well taken care of.
I don’t think he need to. And I think the doctors have told him not to. But Randy will do what Randy wants to do.”
Randy’s last match took place on the May 20th 2022 episode of SmackDown, where him and Matt Riddle (together known as RK-BRO) lost the RAW Tag Team Titles to then SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.
Last year, The Legend Killer said in an interview that his RKO finishing move is starting to take a toll on his body:
“I’ve been doing it for a very long time and I kind of wish I could go back in time and create a finishing move that didn’t entail me jumping up as high as I can and landing on my back.
After doing that a couple of thousand times over the last few decades, I’m starting to feel it.”
The Viper turned 43 years old on April 1st.
