Randy Orton May Regret This Decision After Loss To Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton’s hesitation cost him the King of the Ring crown at WWE Night of Champions.

At one point during his match against Cody Rhodes, Orton had him set up for a punt kick, a move for which he was notorious.

The punt kick involves landing a running kick to an individual’s head while they are grounded.

The move was often woven into a storyline by WWE to write off characters or to generate heat for “The Viper.”

Orton famously used the punt kick on talents around the mid-2000s, such as Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Triple H, and the entire McMahon family, except Linda.

More recently, he had hit Edge with the same move before their “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” at Backlash 2000.

On the WWE Raw Recap podcast, the panel comprising Sam Roberts and Megan Morant discussed Orton’s hesitation to kick Rhodes with the punt kick.

Roberts claimed that the match would not have lasted longer had Orton not hesitated and asked Morant if she thought the same as well.

“I do, especially after the way that Cody defeated Randy. I think Randy is going to have major regrets,” she replied. [35:32 onwards]

Randy Orton is a 14-time world champion, and a victory would have given him the chance to win the title for a 15th time.

Randy Orton’s Punt Kick Sits On The Banned/Restricted List

One of the reasons Randy Orton may have missed the punt on Rhodes is due to safety concerns associated with it.

As a result, it currently appears on WWE’s banned/restricted list and has been used sporadically, only when a story demands it.

The Stamford-based company reduced its usage after 2010, owing to its shift towards safe in-ring practices.

The Chris Benoit tragedy was cited as an example to raise awareness about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and concussions.