It’s been a week since SummerSlam aired, but the bizarre way in which the show ended is still fresh in the minds on WWE fans. The disturbing visuals of Lesnar mauling Orton with stiff elbows and punches haven’t really subsided. The match left Orton needing 10 staples to close a head wound. The TKO finish to the match was highly unusual as well, that too in the main event of SummerSlam at the expense of a 12-time world champion like Orton.
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Naturally, all of this horrible stuff and clear open headshots meant that Randy Orton clearly needed to be tested for a concussion among other things. Daily Wrestling News reported that not only did Orton get 10 staples to his head, but he also went through ImPACT testing to make sure he didn’t have a concussion. Multiple sources claim Orton did not have a concussion, which was certainly a concern after the beatdown. Other tests were rumored to have occurred, and Orton did not wrestle as much this past week either.
Orton was apparently planning for a typical main event until he arrived at the arena. He was then told that he was not going to have a normal match, that the match wasn't about going back & forth and making both superstars look strong, but about making Lesnar look like a dominant force. Original plans had the match being a one-sided destruction by Lesnar, with Orton down on the ground bleeding. That was to come off like Lesnar "went against the script" and really hurt Orton, causing confusion and the end of the match due to referee stoppage. Orton was also reportedly told that Brock knew how to graze him with his elbow to open a cut without hurting Orton, and was told that was what would happen during the match.
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During the match, the referee and the medical staff did not seem to perceive the events as they transpired. They looked shaken by the monstrosity that is Brock Lesnar. The referee called for the TKO victory as soon as possible. He might have known about the finish and may have rushed to it, but you could tell most of the people around had no idea that things were going to be this way. Fans were visibly shaken at ringside after seeing Randy Orton opened up and started losing blood rapidly.
Many fans believe that it was reckless and more than unsafe to tell a superstar to take an open elbow shot and punches to the head, unprotected. It’s different if a talent gets randomly opened up during a match, as those things do happen and are obviously unplanned. However, planning out a time where a talent has to hurt themselves a good bit to get blood is obviously wrong and should go against many rules the business has on safety. Randy Orton was lucky to not have a concussion or any other serious injury barring the gash he suffered in the match against Lesnar during WWE SummerSlam.
