Randy Orton badly injured at Night of Champions; in clear pain

Randy Orton was part of the opener at Night of Champions 2025, as he and Cody Rhodes faced each other in the Final of the King of the Ring Tournament. However, it wasn't a pleasant affair for The Viper.

Minutes into the match, Orton delivered a superplex to Rhodes, landing directly on his back from the top turnbuckle. This had a major effect on the rest of the bout, with the 14-time world champion favoring it throughout. He was shown to be in clear pain as a result of his back injury, especially when using it for various moves.

This is likely part of Randy Orton playing up his lengthy history of back issues. He was out for 18 months from 2022 to 2023 because of a spinal injury that required surgery. The Viper continued selling it until the final moments of the match, which saw The American Nightmare take advantage of an exposed turnbuckle to earn the victory with the Cross Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes will challenge for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam. However, Randy Orton's path to the event is unclear. It remains to be seen if he will take any time off as part of this storyline injury.

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