Doctors told Randy Orton he’d never wrestle again – here’s how he proved them wrong

There are few names more synonymous with WWE than Randy Orton .

Regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, with one of the greatest finishers of all time, there is very little – if anything – the 44-year-old has not achieved inside the squared circle across his 22-year career. He has won the world heavyweight championship 14 times and became the youngest in history to hold the belt in his maiden reign back in 2004. Orton is also a grand-slam champion in WWE, who has won two Royal Rumble matches and headlined WrestleMania twice.

He would have been forgiven, then, for calling it a day back in 2022, when he was told he would never wrestle again, requiring back surgery to fix a decade-old issue. “I was in pain, and I was in more and more pain every month,” Orton tells The Independent . “But it was something that was a long time coming, I started having back issues in my early 30s. My feet would go numb and I would have pain shooting down my legs, and shooting around into my hip. I was a grouchy son of a b****.”

Orton’s recovery from his back surgery in 2022 included an 18-month hiatus. “[Being] told I’d never wrestle again, that kind of sent me into a tailspin,” he says. “It was very depressing being at home and not knowing what my future held. It took a long time for me to get out of that funk. I thought my career was over after the surgery. It was tough to recoup from that, to spiritually recover.”

As the months rolled on, Orton soon found the motivation to start training again, bit by bit, to get himself into a position to return to action. “I was able to do things in the gym that I hadn't done since I was in my 20s, and since I had my back fixed, I was able to strengthen it. That gave me new life. That gave me stability – almost like body armour, so to speak, that I had never had before.”

In November 2023, 18 months after his last appearance, Orton returned to WWE.

Unsurprisingly, a star of his calibre was thrust straight back into the spotlight. He has featured in a number of championship-contender matches, the Elimination Chamber, and made the King Of The Ring final. On Saturday (31 August), Orton faces Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Bash In Berlin – his first singles match for a title in WWE for almost four years.

“Ever since I had my back fused, it’s like a new lease on life... I believe this is the biggest match I’ve had since returning. You know, it’s crazy to say, but I feel like I’m still in my prime in the profession that I’m in. That really excites me."

Orton will face Gunther with the chance to win his 15th world title, just weeks after hitting another incredible milestone: wrestling his 2,400th match in WWE. And having survived a massive injury scare, Orton admits his longevity might mean more than any title he’s won.

“The amount of world championships that I’ve won, that does mean a lot,” he says. “But I think after the doctors told me it was time to end my career a couple of years ago, in that moment, those titles didn’t mean much of anything. I wanted to just continue to do what I have passion for, and that’s getting in that ring and doing everything I can to get a reaction out of these fans.

“And I think the longevity to me is going to be a big part of my legacy. The fact that I’ve had more pay-per-view [appearances] than any WWE Superstar I can think of in 20 years. There’s no one around that’s going to touch any records for a very long time. When it comes to those kinds of statistics, my titles, the amount of times I’ve won... all that means a lot to me, don’t get me wrong, but I think longevity for me right now is the No 1.”

At 44 years old, with a string of untouchable achievements in the business, there’s no doubt that Orton’s status in the locker room is that of a veteran. And while he previously admitted that some of his behaviour, particularly when he was younger, was out of line, he’s now in a position to help out the rising stars.

“I talk to the newer or younger guys every show,” Orton says. “A couple of the new fellas, they’ve been wrestling [elsewhere] for a while and they come here finally after the blood, sweat, tears and really grinding it out. Once you’re here, it's hard to prepare for. In 2002, I had just turned 22 and I was on television every week. So, I can speak a lot of the experiences from when I came in and I can pass that on.

“I feel like there are so many guys now that were either in my position or close to being in my position, where they’re young, they’ve got all these things coming at them, all this responsibility, it’s on their back. There’s a lot of advice from an old fella like me, who’s been around. ‘Be prepared to do this, save your money, pay your taxes.’ I’ve seen guys make mistakes and I’ve made mistakes, so I can help.”

And the advice that Orton offers isn’t just beneficial for those stars coming up. It also helps him to feel fulfilled.

“I’ve just been here so long, so it’s become second nature. It’s really easy and, I’ll admit, it’s fulfilling to sit down with someone like Austin Theory and speak to him about the mistakes I made, and how well he’s doing it. It’s motivation that he’s in a really good spot, but I keep an eye on these guys, too. So, no matter where they are in the business, there’s some way, shape or form that I can help them – in the ring or out of the ring.”

SmackDown comes to the Uber Arena in Berlin on Friday 30 August, followed by WWE Bash In Berlin on Saturday 31 August. Final tickets at www.ticketmaster.de.