Randy Orton Believes WWE King Of The Ring Final Will Be A War
Randy Orton will face GUNTHER in the WWE King of the Ring finals and believes it will be a hard-hitting battle.
In the finals of the WWE King of the Tournament, Raw’s former Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER will face off against SmackDown’s Randy Orton, who is a 14-time WWE World Champion. The match will take place at the WWE King And Queen of the Ring PLE in Saudi Arabia on May 25th.
GUNTHER reached the finals by beating Jey Uso on the final Raw before the King and Queen of the Ring PLE.
On WWE SmackDown from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Randy Orton beat Tama Tonga of The Bloodline in the main event. Solo Sikoa tried to help Tama out during the match, but Orton was able to fight off Solo and he dropped Tama with an RKO for the pinfall win.
The match between Randy Orton and GUNTHER will be a first-time-ever matchup that could be considered a dream match for a lot of fans.
Randy Orton spoke to WWE’s Kayla Braxton in a WWE Digital Media Exclusive video where he spoke about the match with GUNTHER.
“I had kind of a list on the inside of my head of guys that I wanted to wrestle in that ring. Gunther, I wouldn’t say he was at the top of the list. I had some warming up to do before I got to him, you know what I mean? But I’m feeling better than ever, and I feel like now’s the time.”
“When I first came back at War Games, Survivor Series, I was just coming back after 18 months out. I had to dip my toe in the water and slowly kind of just get used to being in the ring, and that takes some time for me. But now, Kayla, after six months, I’m ready for someone like Gunther. The thing is, I don’t know if anyone has his ability, because he is one of a kind.”
“It’s gonna be hard hitting, and it might be the toughest match I’ve had since I’ve come back. Willing to go as far as to say that. Easily, it’s going to be a war for me, but I think it’s a great way to test and see just how much my body can take. Gunther’s the guy for the job if I’m looking to test my limits.”
“My hands are going to be full, and I know that, but again I welcome it, and I think it’s a great way for me to kind of prove that, you know, although I’m getting up there in age, like, I started, I’ve been around a long time, but I was 19 when I signed my WWE contract you might think I’m old, but I’m not as old as you think. You know what I’m saying? I’m going to prove that I can hang with the young guys.”
What Caused Randy Orton To Nearly Retire?
During a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Randy Orton spoke about the serious back injury that he suffered in mid-2022 that led to him missing 18 months of action before his November 2023 return at Survivor Series.
“I had top neurologists telling me that, ‘You know what, you had a great career, you have a life after wrestling, and you wanna be comfortable. You don’t wanna be in pain the rest of your life. We’re gonna fix your back, but you’re gonna have to stop wrestling’.”
“The first six months that I was out, I had that in the back of my head, and it was tough. It was mentally very challenging.”
“My lower spine was so far gone that no shot was going to help. No ablation procedure where they burn the nerve for another six months pain-free, none of that was going to work.”
“I had stenosis, degeneration all over my lower spine, and a slipping disc–every time I extended my spine, it would slip and press on those nerves. I couldn’t sit and take a sh– without pain shooting down my legs or my feet going numb. I couldn’t stand. There were times when I’d move and end up on the floor.”
Despite those medical issues, Randy Orton has made an incredible comeback and is looking to add the title of King of the Ring to his long list of WWE accomplishments. Find out what happened at WWE King And Queen of the Ring and read all about it right here at TJRWrestling as well.