Randy Orton has been out of action for nearly a year due to a back injury. And it’s very possible the WWE legend might never compete in a ring again. In an interview with WrestleBinge with Sportskeeda, Orton’s father, Bob Orton Jr., revealed that medical professionals may have encouraged him to announce his retirement from professional wrestling. However, that doesn’t mean Randy Orton will listen to them.
“He’s training, so we’ll see what happens; I don’t know,” Bob Orton said, per Wrestling Inc. “If he feels like going back or he feels like he’s ready to go back, I think he might. Then again, he’s pretty well taken care of. I don’t think he needs to. And I think the doctors have told him not to. But Randy will do what Randy wants to do.”
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It was reported by Fightful Select in November that Orton had surgery on his lower back. It’s not clear when he had the surgery and there was no timetable set for his return. His last match was in May when he and Matt Riddle lost to The Usos in a tag team championship unification match.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T shared his thoughts on Orton on The Hall of Fame Podcast and said he hopes to see the 14-time world champion back in the ring again. “If it is true, I know what Randy Orton is going through,” Booker T said, per Wrestling Inc. “Doctor advised me the same thing. Not to return back to the ring because of ‘neck issues’ – from a full-time perspective. That’s why I totally took an exit from the ring when I did because of the curvature in my neck could get to the point to where it could start messing with the nerves … I tell you, if this is the case, man, my heart goes out to Randy. Hopefully, it’s not. Hopefully, we’ll see Randy back inside the squared circle again. But when doctors start talking like that, sometimes you just gotta listen.”
Orton is one of the most accomplished stars in WWE history. He’s won the WWE Championship 10 times the World Heavyweight Championship four times, the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, three different tag team championships, and the Royal Rumble match twice. Orton is the 18th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
