Randy Orton Reveals When He Plans to End In-Ring Career

Randy Orton commands respect not only from wrestling enthusiasts but also from every single wrestler in WWE and beyond, even if some people don’t necessarily like him. He has been at the top of the food chain for many years but it will eventually come to an end and now Orton has revealed when he plans to retire.

In a recent interview with Adam’s Apple, Randy Orton discussed his future in wrestling and how much longer he plans to stay active. He explained that his perspective has changed since undergoing spinal fusion surgery two years ago, which followed a decade of struggling with persistent pain throughout his 30s. During that period, Orton frequently asked for time off to recover.

The Apex Predator recalled Vince McMahon once telling him that “mother nature comes for everyone.” However, Orton noted that the regime has changed since then, with a focus on preserving talent rather than overworking them. This shift has allowed him to reconsider his career longevity.

”Well if you would’ve asked me two years ago (how much longer I have left in wrestling), I would have thought it would’ve been close to the end. But I had a spinal fusion a year-and-a-half ago and that changed the game. I’d been in pain through my entire 30s. I was hurting. I was begging for time off when I was 35 and I think Vince’s — his quote to me was, ‘Mother nature gets us all,’ and you know, that’s hard to hear when you’re 35 and your back hurts and you’re busting your ass for this company and you know, there’s been some changes and now, I think instead of pushing guys and running their dicks into the ground until they fall apart and they can’t do it anymore, there’s — it’s a great atmosphere to go, okay, how can we make this guy last? And the beauty of it is-is I’m not even there yet. I feel so great after my surgery. I’m a full-time guy.” 

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The Viper is committed to a full-time schedule and is open to wrestling into his 50s or stopping when he turns 50. With the current leadership, he mentioned that he can approach Triple H to request time off without any pushback. This new approach in WWE management provides a more flexible environment for wrestlers, allowing them to take breaks when needed, so it’s all healthier than before.

”I don’t wanna do the old Undertaker or Shawn Michaels schedule which they needed to do, understandably, but wrestle at WrestleMania, take the summer off, maybe you’ll see ‘em at SummerSlam, yada, yada, yada. I wanna be on the road every week. I wanna make all the TVs and be on all the PLEs and at 44, just turned 44, I would love to be able to go into my 50s. Maybe I wrestle until I’m 50 and call it and that’s 30 years. 30 years with the same company, on top. I wrestled more pay-per-views, PLE’s, whatever you wanna call it than anyone else in the history of the WWE.

I’ve been around a long time but not only that, I’ve been here the whole time and I’ve been busting my ass whether I’m injured or not. Been showing up and it just feels like now is the perfect environment for me to thrive and if I do need to take a week off because I am getting up there, I get it. There’s no question. There’s been twice since I’ve been back in November where I was like, ‘Hey Hunter, can I take a week to just recover? So I could be 100 percent for the following week.’ He said, ‘Oh sure, yeah. As long as you communicate that to me, no problem.’ So, having that in my back pocket, it’s a real peace of mind knowing that if I need — because I am 44 (he laughed) — if I need a week, they’ll give it to me.”

Kevin Owens and Randy Orton took on Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga at Backlash Premium Live Event last week, where they lost after a debuting Tanga Loa cost them the bout. We’ll have to wait and see how WWE will continue to book Randy Orton and The Bloodline’s feud in the coming weeks.

Who do you think should be Randy Orton’s final opponent? Let us know in the comments section below!