Randy Orton Makes Heartbreaking Health Revelation

WWE legend Randy Orton recently opened up about a deeply personal battle that extended far beyond the ring.

Appearing on What’s Your Story?, a podcast hosted by Stephanie McMahon and Elyse Dudzinski, The Viper shared how injuries, mental health struggles, and the fear of losing his wrestling identity nearly brought his world crashing down.

Randy Orton revealed things took a sharp turn after he underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2022, which sidelined him from WWE for nearly a year and a half. The surgery, meant to address severe back issues, put his entire career in jeopardy. The uncertainty of his recovery pushed him to the edge mentally.

I started kind of getting in my head, and this is after I met Kim and I had three stepsons and I had two daughters and I kind of got overwhelmed… I was having panic attacks. It had started to become harder to fly, started to become harder to stay in bed. I would be up all night, and it was like really rough.

Randy Orton Opens Up About Mental Struggles During Injury Layoff

Randy Orton added that the extended time off made things worse for him. As the mental weight grew heavier, he started falling back into old habits, but his wife, Kim Orton, stepped in at the right time.

“I think it kind of came to a head when I had a spinal fusion, and I was out for a year and a half. It was like, Here’s my identity. This is what I am. This is the one thing that I know that I’m good at, and I get respect for, and I can’t do it anymore. And for like six months, I was under the impression that was it.”

“During that time, that six months where I thought that was it, it was like… when I was younger, I felt so mentally strong and tough and nothing could shake me. And I got in a dark place, and I started to revert back to some of my old habits, and I’ve got a wife and five kids.”

“Luckily, I was able to nip it in the bud quickly. She saw it happening, and I was put on some SSRIs. It’s like an anti-depression, anxiety medication. I’ve actually been off of them for about six months and feel like myself again, but I needed them for a few years because I didn’t know if I could do this job anymore, even after I came back,” Randy Orton stated.

The Apex Predator credited a skilled doctor who was able to operate without cutting muscle, which made his physical comeback possible. But mentally, his journey was just as grueling.