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“I was supposed to be a surprise in WarGames at Survivor Series,” said Orton. “All these CM Punk rumors started a month prior, and everyone thought–since we were in Chicago for Survivor Series–that CM Punk would be the surprise. So they had Cody a week before WarGames say that he had a friend–me–that was going to come. The surprise was spoiled all because Punk was rumored to be there, and WWE didn’t want people to be pissed.”
Punk had left WWE nine years prior under acrimonious circumstances. He was a free agent following his controversial departure from AEW over the summer, but the past disharmony with WWE made it highly unlikely that there would be any future together.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Punk made a shocking return at Survivor Series.
“The day of Survivor Series, I’m about to get my boots on,” said Orton. “I’m feeling the nerves, it had been a year-and-a-half.
“Triple H is like, ‘Hey Randy, I’ve got to talk to you for a second.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, what’s up, man?’ So he told me a couple things. And then he went, ‘One more thing–Punk’s returning tonight.’
“I thought he was f------ with me. I said, ‘You’re joking,’ and he was like, ‘No, I’m not. This is something that just happened in the last few days, yada yada yada.’”
Orton had every right to be upset. This was his moment, his surprise return after 18-and-a-half months away. Yet that would no longer be the case once “Cult of Personality” hit and the crowd erupted. The surprise was already altered by a rumor, and then WWE was, remarkably, bringing Punk back that very night.
“I was so excited for this surprise return,” said Orton. “That’s never really been the case. They’ve always kind of stooged off the fact I was returning; they wanted those views. So I’d never had that surprise return.
“I could have been really pissed, and old Randy would have been pissed. It was a defining moment for me. I went out there, we had a great WarGames match, everybody was excited that I returned, everybody was excited that Punk returned, and neither return stepped on each other. It was a testament to how much I’d grown. It would have been an issue only if I made it one, so I was proud of the way I handled it.”
After enduring excruciating physical pain over the past year-and-a-half, Orton has readjusted his priorities. He is grateful to be back in the ring, where he will wrestle this Saturday in Perth, Australia in the Elimination Chamber match. And he is also eager for wrestling fans to learn a more detailed account of his story during the new A&E Biography: WWE Legends episode, which airs on Sunday.
Orton is thrilled the A&E episode is not solely reflecting back on his career. During his time away from the ring, all signs pointed to retirement.
“Before I left [in May of 2022], I’d got to the point where [Matt] Riddle had done everything he could for me as a tag partner,” said Orton. “I could barely stand for a long amount of time. Taking my kids trick-or-treating that Halloween, I would have to sit in between the houses because I just couldn’t be on my feet that long. The symptoms were just immensely painful.
“I got an MRI, the symptoms got worse, but I staved off any cortisone shots. I’d needed one for about five years, but I didn’t want to get one–once you go down that road, it’s a slippery slope. So I was going to get a cortisone shot, and I was hopeful that it would help.”
Unfortunately for Orton, the idea that a cortisone shot would provide support amounted to false hope. The MRI results confirmed what, deep down, he feared: his career was on borrowed time.
“My lower spine was so far gone that no shot was going to help,” said Orton. “No ablation procedure where they burn the nerve for another six months pain-free, none of that was going to work. I had stenosis, degeneration all over my lower spine, and a slipping disc–every time I extended my spine, it would slip and press on those nerves. I couldn’t sit and take a sh-- without pain shooting down my legs or my feet going numb. I couldn’t stand. There were times when I’d move and end up on the floor.
“And I’m working with top-of-their-class neurosurgeons, and they’re telling me, ‘You’ve had a great career. Maybe it’s time to hang up the boots. You’ve got to think of quality of life after your career.’ That’s always been a priority for me, but hearing all this, after thinking I was going to get an epidural cortisone shot and I’d be fine, it was tough. I’ll be honest–I broke into tears.”
Orton was in desperate need of a medical miracle. Those are rare, especially when it comes to the back. But Orton’s entire career has defied the odds, so it should not be altogether surprising that he became a medical outlier.
“Those next few months were really difficult,” said Orton. “I had a few doctors I was speaking with, and one doctor, Adam Kanter, he was moving from Pittsburgh to California. Man, I’m glad I waited. I’m glad I saw him. Him and two other doctors worked on me, and they didn’t cut through any muscle. That would have rendered me a non-athlete for the rest of my life because the muscle wouldn’t have healed quite the same.”
Currently sporting a shredded physique, Orton is thrilled to report that he will be keeping the extra weight on his frame.
“I had the surgery, things were going well, and I changed my diet–and I started packing on a few pounds,” said Orton, 43. “About six months post-surgery, I was able to do things in the gym that I hadn’t been able to do my entire 30s. I was able to start working on my glutes and my hamstrings and my lower back, and I had no pain. Man, I went from 240 pounds to 280. I’m 275 right now, and I feel f------ fantastic. I feel like I was meant to be this weight my whole life, but my frame wasn’t able to sustain it until this fusion.
“I feel like I’m right smack dab in the middle of my prime. My back started to go in my late 20s. It wasn't one powerbomb through a table, it was a slow decline that accumulated over time. Being able to do what I love, and not take a minute of it for granted, that’s my priority. And I want to do it as long as I can.”
The genuine excitement in Orton’s voice changed to a different tone when he was asked about working in the new era of WWE, one that does not include longtime end-all, be-all Vince McMahon. An ongoing lawsuit has brought some hideous charges to light, and it effectively jettisoned McMahon from the company.
“I’ve got to say this–I wouldn’t be where I am without Vince McMahon taking a chance on me a handful of times,” said Orton. “I would not be where I am today without Vince McMahon. But, f---, I’m reading this sh--. What you’ve seen and read, I’ve seen and read. As far as commenting on that, it f------ hurts my heart. It hurts my heart.”
Orton believes that WWE President Nick Khan and Chief Content Creator Paul “Triple H” Levesque are cultivating a safer culture and climate within the company, one that is altogether better across the board.
“So much happened while I was out,” said Orton. “When I left, the old guard was still doing its thing. Vince was still around. TV’s were getting rewritten over and over again. The writers were being held up until all hours in the morning. And all that changed.
“I am excited to work for WWE. Nick Khan is amazing. Triple H being in charge of creative is amazing. I’ve had a relationship with him for over 20 years. I went to his wedding back in ‘03. We’ve been at odds before when I was a f--- up when I was young, and I won him back. He’s seen me go from an adolescent assh--- prick who didn’t know what I was doing–I was an insecure punk, that’s what I was. I’m the oldest sibling in my family, but he’s like an older brother to me in many ways. He’s always been there and had the best of advice.”
WWE’s new era is already adding longevity to Orton’s career.
“Throughout the course of my career when my back was shot to sh--, there were many times I went to the powers-that-be and said I’d have a longer career if I was off some of these shows so my back could heal up,” said Orton. “Instead of 20 days overseas in Europe, I’d say, let me do just 10–or miss a TV once a quarter. I was denied at every turn. ‘I’m sorry Randy, I need you at these shows.’ ‘Sorry, Randy. Mother Nature gets us all.’
“Since I’ve been back, post-spinal fusion, and I’m talking like Chicago Survivor Series, Triple H and Nick Khan reassured me to come to them if I needed anything and they’d take care of it. They’ve already proven they weren’t full of sh-- when they said that. If something is bugging me and I don’t want to put my body through a physical toll of a match, I can still make the TV, cut a promo, and hit an RKO or two. That is going to enable me to do this for a long time. I’m very happy with the changes, and I’m very happy that Nick Khan, Triple H, Bruce Prichard and all those guys are proving they mean what they say. The company changed, and they care about the talent. I think everybody feels the same way.”
