Should Randy Orton Retire?

[That N Word]

I know it may sound dumb but hear me out. Randy Orton may be only 35 years old but he has been wrestling for the better part of 15 years. And his body is starting to feel the effects. Randy has a history of neck and shoulder injuries. And this one was caused by something as little as him lifting a trash can. Now Orton could be out for possibly even up to two years.

My question is should he come back at all? I mean if he is out for 2 years probably not as a wrestler. Maybe in just the appearing legend role that we already see guys like Rock,Austin,Flair,HHH,Steph,Hogan (before release),Hart,Foley,etc. in.

My whole point of this topic is I don't want to see him end up like Edge,Austin or even Bryan, coming back only to wrestle on borrowed time and have to end his career in bad shape.

Imagine him hitting his signature RKO and something happens to his shoulder and neck again. That would be terrible. I know a lot of people are gonna think I'm crazy for this post or that I'm exaggerating. But in reality I'm looking out for what's best for Orton.

If he does continue to wrestle it should be under a Undertaker,Rock,HHH like schedule where he only wrestles once or twice a year. What do you think?

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I really think he should only do three pay per views a year with half a dozen RAW appearances to hype his match ups.

Summerslam - Have a big match

Royal Rumble - A big match or have a position called - The Orton Position - Where he participates in The Rumble as No. 10 Every Year.

Wrestlemania - Have a big match or tag match.

 

[The Mattitude Era]

I think we might be overreacting a little bit here. He's actually been pretty injury-free his entire career. Most wrestlers have their injuries and come back just fine. I don't see why we should worry about Orton. He'll come back, probably sooner than we think, and we'll laugh at ourselves for suggesting he should retire. Plus, in wrestling there's something I like to call the Ric Flair rule, which declares that every wrestler should wrestling for at least 20 years past their prime.

But to another one of your points of not wanting to see him end up like Edge or Foley. I definitely agree. It's a shame what happens to these wrestler's bodies and I do think they all need lighter schedules and more breaks and to be more injury-cautious. But I don't think Orton's anywhere near that point yet. At least I hope not. For being around as long as he has, I don't think he's as old as a lot of people think.

 

[ShinChan]

I think he should only do 3 payperviews which include Summerslam, Royal Rumble & Wrestlemania..... No live events.... Atmost 10 raws... We wouldnot want him to go away like Mick Foley, Edge, Bryan etc.... so no he shouldnt retire but a Undertaker/Rock/TripleH schedule would work for him and us too

 

[MartialHorror]

If he should retire, I think it should be more due to a lack of enthusiasm for wrestling. He looked excited and intense during the early stages of his Rollins program, but since then...and quite frankly, before then....he looked bored.

As for injuries, it comes down to how much he thinks his body can take and what the doctors advise.

 

[Azane]

We have people wrestling at almost 60, and people are thinking 35 is old? RKO still has plenty of time left.

They just need to take him off house shows and let him work TV, house shows are what kill everyone for the least return to WWE.

WWE doesn't need more part timers, it's already giving up a lot of programming for that, part of what's killing RAW ratings is the lack of star power, more part timers will just enforce it more.

 

[swallop]

No. It would be a real shame if he ended his career on an injury. But he has done it all. He has nothing left to prove. But I remember a feud back in 2011. ONE MORE MATCH. and that last match should be at wrestlemania 33.

 

[Navi]

I believe it will come down to a couple of things as to whether he'll return as a full time talent or not.

First of all his health. He just got married, so if he feels that he's done enough for the company, and this time home is working for him, he might not want to risk permanent injury. By the sounds of things he'll have a long time to weigh this option.

He might also not want to be on the road as much as he used to be, and just work as a part timer. He basically has a contract like that now, where he doesn't have to do house shows, but I can see him doing even less. For example not appearing each week on RAW, and just showing up as a special attraction from time to time.

Randy Orton is a multiple time World Champion, and he's still a young man. There isn't really much more that he can do. It's true fans will miss him greatly, but this is a business where wrestler's strive for the next big thing. Orton has done all of the next big things, and really in the last few months he hasn't been involved in anything new. Feuding with Sheamus is old hat.

I could see him going down to NXT for awhile and maybe working with the talent there. He would be a fantastic addition to replace someone like Billy Gunn. Orton would be based in Orlando and he could still be around wrestling and go home and sleep in his own bed every night.

Let's face it, sometimes when he's not doing much, he looks like he's phoning it in, and he has a reputation for being sullen and withdrawn. I think he gets bored easily, and I've heard more than one person say "Oh there's Randy, doing a Randy."

I'm sure he'll make the right decision while he off recuperating, and if he decides to come back I'll welcome him. If he decides that he's had enough, then I wish him well in whatever he does. I'm sure though there will always be a place within the WWE for him.

 

[MERPER]

I had to vote yes and I hate myself for doing it.

I started enjoying Orton on a whole new level over the last 2 years or so because he's just head & shoulders better than so many on the current roster and became even more fun to watch because of it.

Unfortunately, while the neck injury might not be too bad (if he doesn't need a fusion), the shoulder injury from everything I am reading/hearing is very severe. One that could occur over and over again at any time. I'd hate to see him continue to suffer shoulder injuries mid-match just from doing basic wrestling moves.

If he can come back and go at it consistently without any or many issues, then by all means I'd love to see him back. But if there's any potential problems then I say he needs to hang 'em up.

 

[OYDK]

Unfortunately, while the neck injury might not be too bad (if he doesn't need a fusion), the shoulder injury from everything I am reading/hearing is very severe. One that could occur over and over again at any time. I'd hate to see him continue to suffer shoulder injuries mid-match just from doing basic wrestling moves.

Let me dispel the notion here. I'm pretty sure I've said this to you in another thread as well. If Randy Orton gets surgery to fix his rotator cuff, rehabs, and gives it enough time to heal, his shoulder will be 100% fine. Believe me I know, I've talked to surgeons about the same problem.

HE WILL BE FINE PEOPLE.

On topic, I see no reason for why Randy Orton should retire to be honest. If he feels he can continue to wrestle in peak form, which he had been doing until his injury, and still has passion for the business, than he should come back. If he's burnt out, than work part-time or retire. I don't really know why this is an issue to be honest... there is a lot of over reacting going on for something that could be fixed with basic surgery. Orton is still one of the best all-around wrestling talents in the world, and he still offers a ton to WWE and its casual fanbase. So, while I don't think this is nearly the right time for Orton to retire, if he decides to do that, than it's his choice.

 

[MERPER]

Let me dispel the notion here. I'm pretty sure I've said this to you in another thread as well. If Randy Orton gets surgery to fix his rotator cuff, rehabs, and gives it enough time to heal, his shoulder will be 100% fine. Believe me I know, I've talked to surgeons about the same problem.

With all due respect, do you think you're the only one who knows something about medicine, injuries or has spoken to doctors?

The ones I know all say the same thing without knowing his exact injury... which is that once a shoulder a) pops out of socket, b) has tears in/around it or c) suffers structural damage it never fully heals and becomes easier to injure going forward....

This is evident since he hurt the thing this past time by doing something as simple as taking out the trash.

Now, for most ordinary people, they don't necessarily have to worry about it too much. But Randy isn't ordinary and wrestling calls for a lot of action with the shoulder. Unnatural rotations, heavy lifting and tons of strain, making it even more of a risk for him going forward.

As I've said before, since I am not a doctor (neither are you) and we don't know the exact extent of his injury or exactly what the prognosis, clearly he and WWE will make the correct call.

If he can return, phenomenal. I am all for it. I just hope when and if he does, the shoulder doesn't get seriously injured again doing something basic in the ring.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

The question if kind of strange. Why should we have an opinion one way or the other when we have no idea how badly he's hurt? If it's bad enough to justify retirement, obviously the answer would be yes. If he can recover, he can continue, if he chooses to do so.

I hope it's not the end. A year could be exactly what he needs. I don't know if WWE will do anything more with him than they have in recent years, but they should. He's still really fun to watch when he's completely out of control (think 2010 when he was probably the most over guy they had).

 

[Mustang Sally]

If he should retire, I think it should be more due to a lack of enthusiasm for wrestling.

If that's the case.....and he really is gone for a year, or maybe two.....the time away could solve two problems.

First, his enthusiasm might very well return with the extended time off. After all, since Randy followed his father and grandfather into the business, it was probably his life-long ambition, and the spirit might very well return after his body heals.

Second, the fans often adopt an 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' attitude, and after not seeing Randy for such a long time, their enthusiasm for him might return, along with his own.

Of course, there might be a third alternative that could bring him back to the wars. If the guy runs out of money and needs to make some........

 

[Navi]

Let me dispel the notion here. I'm pretty sure I've said this to you in another thread as well. If Randy Orton gets surgery to fix his rotator cuff, rehabs, and gives it enough time to heal, his shoulder will be 100% fine. Believe me I know, I've talked to surgeons about the same problem.

As none of us are Randy Orton's doctors, and don't exactly know how bad his shoulder is, I don't think you can make the claim that you have.

He didn't sustain this injury originally in the ring from what I understand, he received it in a car accident and has been working with it ever since. A friend of my son's has a similar injury, again he got his in a car accident. Something as simple as closing the fridge can cause his shoulder to pop out. Not all shoulder injuries are the same, and this isn't the first time Orton has been sidelined by this.

 

[Redemption-2012]

He's far too young for retirement however, I could see him working a lighter schedule as WWE don't seem to have much confidence in him anymore in terms of being a main event top guy. He's more or less done it all and I can't really see much else for him to do except face a few select guys such as Brock Lesnar. I can't see an immediate feud for him at WrestleMani IF he is back in time which I doubt he will be.

I wouldn't mind seeing him feud with Kevin Owens and maybe Dean Ambrose.

 

[BaconBits]

Randy has mentioned a few times before that he intended to retire by the age of 40. He's a very wealthy man, so that's not surprising.

Now the rumors state that it's not just the shoulder that's his issue, but his neck, too. And the neck may require surgery, and a lengthy rehab that would put him out over a year.

Let's say that the neck thing is true, and he misses 18 months of ring time, and comes back when he's 37. WE might see one last run out of Randy, and that's it.

Should he retire? Maybe. Up to him, though, really. Will he retire? Probably not for a couple years yet.

 

[whoopin' ass]

Honestly yet. Say what you want but the fact is he has had a lot of injuries and it gets to a point where you need to stop blaming whoever he was in the ring with and start looking at him. wwe fired Anderson because he was dangerous in the ring and injured Orton, wwe stopped pushing Kofi because of the same thing - funny that he was the only one this happened to, no one else said how dangerous they were. The other problem is that his character is beyond stale. He had something when he started - the angry young man there to show that he was just better than everyone else. But for a long time now, what has his character been? He flips between face and heel never really doing anything. He hasn't had any real storylines, he has just been the guy they put in because they need him. This back to him and Christian and the "one more match" angle - Orton wasn't necessary. Anyone could have done that role, it was about Christian. That has been his career for the past 5 years at least. wwe just pushes him without any idea to back it. He has made his money, wwe will still use him within the company in some form - time to retire and create an opening for someone else.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This could actually be the best thing that ever happened to WWE and Randy Orton.

For years there has been this nagging doubt about him, that he was going to screw up again, that he'd end up making them fire him and that he just couldn't be bothered anymore. I've long said that they'd have been best to let him go for a year or two, let him do his own thing and most importantly, let the fans MISS him.

Now it looks as if "injury" will keep him out for at least 18 months by the time he rehabs and is ready to return (if he has the neck surgery) and that almost in some ways is a great outcome for WWE although obviously not as great healthwise for Orton.

From his perspective, if you take the injury away, it's 18 months at home, with his new wife, time with his daughter, maybe have a new child and recharge. A lot of Randy's issues in the past have stemmed from not being grounded in the day to day but being in an artificial life... first in the Marines, then in wrestling. 18 months of time at home, with his family will hopefully change him for the better.

Sure neck surgery is a big deal and there are no guarantees, but it's as likely he makes a full recovery as not and it's also likely to give him that fire in his belly to WANT to not only return but get one more big run.

From WWE's perspective it takes one of their regular crutches away... "If all else fails we put the belt on Randy for 3 months..or turn him..." it's been a big creative problem for them for at least 5 years... As the tide is shifting right now and WWE is even going so far as to solicit fan opinion on what they want to see, having Orton out of the picture makes like easier. It's one less big name they have to appease or have moaning about the inevitable jobs needed to get the new talents over. It also forces them to be more creative in how they get those talents over and more careful in how they handle them. If they'd known Orton would be out this long, would Ambrose have had all the problems booking wise he has had? No...

In 18 months time, we'll likely be looking at a VERY different WWE, with guys like Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Apollo Crews & Kevin Owens on top... Cena will be part time, Taker will be a distant memory and Brock will probably also be coming to the end of his time... That's a perfect time to bring Randy Orton back, not as the top guy... but in the same way Shawn came back in 2002... the aging hellraiser turned family man who wins the odd big match/title but mainly makes the new talents look a million bucks... and the fans will lap it up... THAT Orton could be massive to WWE in helping turn newer talents into the top guys, just as Mick Foley did for him...

There's never a good time to get hurt, but in Orton's case, it could seriously work to his advantage and WWE's...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

To be perfectly honest, I'd be just fine with Randy Orton returning if he was used in the US or IC title picture as a means of giving the mid-card titles a big, high profile feud. Hell, I wouldn't even be opposed to the notion of Orton in the tag team picture if he was paired with someone with some genuinely good chemistry.

Barring that, I've no real interest in Randy Orton because he's done it all so much that it's just kinda blah and I'd almost rather just seem him call it quits. I've said lots of times that WWE, in some ways, made mistakes by pushing Cena & Orton so frequently, so constantly and so tenaciously, often at the expense of the rest of the roster. Sometimes, it wasn't that they were booked to look so good, the problem was that their opponents were booked to look so bad at the same time. Orton was a 6 time World Champion, 1 time Intercontinental Champion, 1 time Tag Team Champion and Royal Rumble winner all before he was even 30 years old. I have less than zero interest in Orton as World Champion again, so being back in the mid-card or tag title pictures could be interesting; I mean, look how well it worked for John Cena for 2015.

 

[rmp0012002]

The shoulder injury sounds like more than just a simple rotator cuff but that's the least of his problems. I'm in no way a doctor but if he needs fusion surgery in his neck and returns to the ring he's wrestling on borrowed time. It doesn't matter what his doctors say it's what the WWE doctors says. For a guy that's young, been a major star, made a lot of money and just got married I think he should walk away with Vince giving him a Legends contract.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

That's not for us to decide. I've seen a lot of these threads, where Wrestler X should retire based on overexposure, time in the company or injury. Generally these are aimed at stale wrestlers who have long careers like Show, Kane, Cena, and Orton.

Randy retiring due to injury is a choice that is made between only his doctor, WWE's doctor's and himself. I'm sure a lot of professional athletes have suffered ludicrous injuries. Didn't Wade Boggs put himself on the shelf trying on boots or something ridiculous?

I guess the scary thing here is that it's neck surgery we're talking about here. Neck injuries shortened the careers of Edge and Austin, Daniel Bryan has been out for eight months so far, he may be done, so I see the cause for alarm.

Should Orton get healthy and cleared, and the same goes for anyone on the roster, becoming a healthy scratch isn't the answer. The characters need refreshes. Undertaker has enjoyed such a long career and maintained his lustre by reinventing himself. The character evolved time and time again, even being completely repackaged in the biker gimmick. Going part time I think was an age related thing for Taker which has allowed him to wrestle a few times per year into his late 40s.

Orton has been basically the same character since turning face in 2010. Prior to that he had been white hot as a heel, it was such a shame to see how far down they watered his babyface character thereafter.

Orton must put health first. So far as retirement or a shift to part time because he's stale, that's just lazy. This injury is going to give plenty of psychic distance between us the audience and the character. When he returns, become a new Randy Orton, exactly what I'm not sure.

Sting was a surfer, then the crow, some stuff happened in TNA after someone gave Sting a copy of The Dark Knight on DVD, then now. Undertaker transformed, Hogan transformed, why not Orton? He's a far cry from the "can't develop as a character for the kids" pigeon hole that Cena is the mayor of, so what can he do differently to sate the palates of thread posters such as this?

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

That's not for us to decide. I've seen a lot of these threads, where Wrestler X should retire based on overexposure, time in the company or injury. Generally these are aimed at stale wrestlers who have long careers like Show, Kane, Cena, and Orton.

Randy retiring due to injury is a choice that is made between only his doctor, WWE's doctor's and himself. I'm sure a lot of professional athletes have suffered ludicrous injuries. Didn't Wade Boggs put himself on the shelf trying on boots or something ridiculous?

I guess the scary thing here is that it's neck surgery we're talking about here. Neck injuries shortened the careers of Edge and Austin, Daniel Bryan has been out for eight months so far, he may be done, so I see the cause for alarm.

Should Orton get healthy and cleared, and the same goes for anyone on the roster, becoming a healthy scratch isn't the answer. The characters need refreshes. Undertaker has enjoyed such a long career and maintained his lustre by reinventing himself. The character evolved time and time again, even being completely repackaged in the biker gimmick. Going part time I think was an age related thing for Taker which has allowed him to wrestle a few times per year into his late 40s.

Orton has been basically the same character since turning face in 2010. Prior to that he had been white hot as a heel, it was such a shame to see how far down they watered his babyface character thereafter.

Orton must put health first. So far as retirement or a shift to part time because he's stale, that's just lazy. This injury is going to give plenty of psychic distance between us the audience and the character. When he returns, become a new Randy Orton, exactly what I'm not sure.

Sting was a surfer, then the crow, some stuff happened in TNA after someone gave Sting a copy of The Dark Knight on DVD, then now. Undertaker transformed, Hogan transformed, why not Orton? He's a far cry from the "can't develop as a character for the kids" pigeon hole that Cena is the mayor of, so what can he do differently to sate the palates of thread posters such as this?

Holy shit, are you joking about Joker Sting ? Is that really the story behind it ?

 

[J.J.]

I would argue he's already the third option in the poll and has been for a while. I would appreciate him a lot more in that role given he has accomplished a lot to be only in his mid 30s. But only bring him in for meaningful programs where it'll go either way in the win-loss column. Definitely don't take the Chris Jericho role.

 

[kadroan]

I know it may sound dumb but hear me out. Randy Orton may be only 35 years old but he has been wrestling for the better part of 15 years. And his body is starting to feel the effects. Randy has a history of neck and shoulder injuries. And this one was caused by something as little as him lifting a trash can. Now Orton could be out for possibly even up to two years.

My question is should he come back at all? I mean if he is out for 2 years probably not as a wrestler. Maybe in just the appearing legend role that we already see guys like Rock,Austin,Flair,HHH,Steph,Hogan (before release),Hart,Foley,etc. in.

My whole point of this topic is I don't want to see him end up like Edge,Austin or even Bryan, coming back only to wrestle on borrowed time and have to end his career in bad shape.

Imagine him hitting his signature RKO and something happens to his shoulder and neck again. That would be terrible. I know a lot of people are gonna think I'm crazy for this post or that I'm exaggerating. But in reality I'm looking out for what's best for Orton.

If he does continue to wrestle it should be under a Undertaker,Rock,HHH like schedule where he only wrestles once or twice a year. What do you think?

If I was him, I would just do one last run for WM 33 and retire there. He don't really have nothing left to do unless he wants and the powers-that-be let him break Flair's record. He's a legit Hall of Famer.

 

[That N Word]

If I was him, I would just do one last run for WM 33 and retire there. He don't really have nothing left to do unless he wants and the powers-that-be let him break Flair's record. He's a legit Hall of Famer.

True. And the problem with that is they are only gonna let Cena break it. But with his success in Hollywood and his contract expiring in 2017. I doubt he re-signs. And as for Orton is do you really take this risk. That would take him about 4 full time years to get that record. I think he should just do one last run in what would be billed the Randy Orton retirement tour Facing Wyatt at SummerSlam,Owens at Survivor Series, Lesnar at Royal Rumble and his last match against either heel Cena (Orton would win) or Finn Bálor (Balor wins in the passing of the torch) at WrestleMania. Then he can just go in the HOF the next year.