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Randy Orton will be out indefinitely following a serious injury he sustained on SmackDown as a result of an assault from Kevin Owens. KO hit a devastating piledriver on The Viper, which resulted in him being carried out on a stretcher.
Following this, WWE announced that Orton had been diagnosed with cervical cord neurapraxia and would be sidelined for an indefinite period.
"After last night's brutal attack by Kevin Owens on SmackDown, Randy Orton has been diagnosed with a cervical cord neurapraxia. There is no timetable for his return," WWE announced on its X account.
Due to the severity of the injury, the 14-time World Champion could be forced to retire, even though it seems that Randy Orton will eventually return at some point in the future, and his injury is part of his storyline with Kevin Owens.
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With that in mind, we take a look at three superstars who were forced to retire from wrestling at a younger age than Randy Orton, who is 44, due to a serious injury.
#3. Corey Graves had to retire due to concussion issues
Corey Graves spent three years on NXT (2011-2014) before retiring from in-ring action in 2014 at the age of 30 due to concussion issues. Graves suffered serious concussions twice that cost him significant time during his run on NXT and forced him to retire.
Since 2014, he has been working as a commentator, first on NXT and then backstage on RAW, before becoming a full-time commentator on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown.
Back in 2022, WWE doctors cleared Corey Graves for in-ring return, however the latter didn't appear willing to wrestle again. Graves has fully adjusted to his commentary role and made it clear that he would return to the ring only if it made sense to wrestle again as part of a storyline.
#2. Jason Jordan suffered a neck injury, like Randy Orton
Jason Jordan was a promising star on NXT and on the main roster but had to retire back in 2018 due to a serious neck injury. He was 29 years old, and his career was on the line due to the injury.
Before the injury, he had become Tag Team Champion on NXT, RAW, and SmackDown, respectively. He was expected to be Kurt Angle's opponent in the latter's farewell match in WWE five years ago.
After his retirement, Jordan stayed with WWE and worked backstage as a lead producer.
#1. Tyson Kidd had to deal with a career and life-threatening neck injury
Tyson Kidd had a great stint as a tag team with former WWE star Cesaro a decade ago, but a career and life-threatening neck injury he sustained in a dark match with Samoa Joe forced him to retire from pro wrestling in 2015 at the age of 35.
Despite making a full recovery from the injury, Tyson Kidd never returned to the ring, as then-WWE boss Vince McMahon considered the idea of having Kidd compete again a high-risk proposition.
Like Jason Jordan and Corey Graves, though, Tyson Kidd stayed with WWE after his retirement and agreed to a deal to work backstage as a producer, a role he has been keeping until now.
As for Randy Orton, the expectation is that this injury will not end his career, but The Viper will be able to return in the coming months and continue his feud with Kevin Owens.
