Randy Orton Speaks Out on Battling Pain in the Ring with Matt Riddle’s Assistance

Randy Orton made his shocking return at Survivor Series last week and then on the subsequent episode of Monday Night RAW. It didn’t stop there as he returned to Smackdown and made it clear he was staying there. He also credited Matt Riddle for helping him work through matches while in considerable pain.

The Viper was out of action from May 2022 as he required back surgery, which put him on the shelf for 18 months. Before this hiatus, Orton and Matt Riddle were teaming up – known as Team RKBro. They won tag team gold together and were viewed as highlights on WWE television.

While speaking on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Randy Orton talked about how much pain he was in during his matches, adding that Matt Riddle helped him through the matches by bearing the brunt of the physicality.

“I changed a lot of stuff off this last 18 months. I really needed the time. I had a lot of ailments. I couldn’t stand for more than a couple of minutes without having pain shoot down my legs. When I would sit I would had a disc that was slipping every time I would bend. On a plane, sitting here, my feet would go numb and I would have pain shooting down my legs. It was hard. That last year before I had to leave because of the back. I was in a tag team with former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle. I got to give him props because that year we tagged together, I was not able to be in that ring unless I was in there with someone like him because he was able to take the brunt of the physicality…if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have made it that far. I had some great doctors, they fixed me up right, they didn’t cut through any muscle which would enable me to get back in the ring. Because once you start cutting muscle, like that’s never gonna heal back [and] you’re done. I’m just blessed all the way around.”

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Matt Riddle officially confirmed WWE fired him back in September and in the months since then, he had a lot of major life events, including the birth of his son. Regardless, Orton will always respect Riddle for what he has done and that’s all that matters.

What’s your opinion on what Randy Orton said? Are you glad Matt Riddle was there for him? Let us know in the comments section below!