A former WWE star has recounted the day when an incident narrowly avoided Randy Orton from suffering a major injury.
A part of the developmental system in 2001 and 2002, Heidenreich found himself across from the ring with current future stars of the company. Along with having early matches against the likes of Shelton Benjamin and Mark Henry, Heidenreich faced off against Orton, who would go on to be one of the biggest stars of the 21st century.
Although Orton won 14 World Championships among his many accolades and is a future Hall of Famer, there was a chance that a practice session with Heidenreich could have derailed plans.
While speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Heidenreich recalled a training session with The Viper. Noting that a spot went wrong, the former WWE star had major concerns that he had injured Orton. With an ambulance being called, Heidenreich admitted that if it was serious, he was going to quit then and there:
“Me and Randy, we were actually practicing one day, and I went to give him a sunset flip, or he was giving one, and I lost my balance and fell on him. I landed on his face and neck, and I thought I hurt him, man. I was like, I’m done. That’s Randy Orton. I thought I might have hurt his neck. He turned out to be fine. They called an ambulance, bro, because I thought I landed on his face and his neck, and I was thinking, Oh my god, if I hurt him, I’ll say I’m just gonna quit, because they might kill me.”
In the same interview, Heidenreich spoke about the infamous Michael Cole segment.
Randy Orton Still Off WWE TV, Some Have Suspected Injury
Orton has been away from WWE TV since his last match at WrestleMania 42. Looking to win his 15th World Championship, Orotn challenged Cody Rhodes for the title. Turning heel before Mania, Orton brutally attacked Rhodes in the lead-up and also joined forces with Pat McAfee.
Along with the fan backlash from McAfee’s inclusion, it was reported ahead of time that Orton was hurt going into the match. While commentary attempted to downplay this, the SmackDown star has remained absent since. There has been no update on when he will return.
Featured image: WWE
