Randy Orton's Hypermobility Issue In His Shoulders, Explained
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Known to the WWE Universe as either The Viper or the Apex Predator, or even just as the 14-time WWE Champion, Randy Orton has remained at the top of the card in WWE since his debut in 2002. Dismantling his opponents physically, Orton's character has always been shown to be a merciless, violent one, who often shows little regard for his opponents well-being. With it being wrestling, however, fans know that Orton is not actively trying to hurt his opponents, though injuries do happen. For Orton himself, injuries have plagued the man's career more often than not, with a sticking point being his shoulders.
Throughout his career, Orton has suffered numerous shoulder injuries, which have only been worse due to a health condition that the Legend Killer suffers from, called hypermobility. Looking at what the condition actually is and the injuries Orton has suffered due to it, there is plenty to learn in regard to Randy's shoulder issues.
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What Is Hypermobility?
Wrestling is a dangerous sport, and one that sees wrestlers go down with injuries on a regular basis. With Randy Orton wrestling for over 20 years at this point, he has dealt with numerous injury issues of his career. One of the main issues Randy Orton has faced from an injury perspective is his shoulder hypermobility.
For those unaware, having hypermobile shoulders is a condition that allows the shoulders to stretch back much farther than the average person. While that may be helpful in some situations, it also means you're more prone to injuries, mainly shoulder dislocations. Over time, the shoulder joints are also more likely to wear out much faster than a normal person without hypermobility. While it can make wrestling more dangerous for Orton, it has also affected his personal life, as in 2015 he would injure his shoulder while taking out the trash.
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Randy Orton's First Shoulder Injury In WWE
Making his official debut for WWE in 2002, Randy Orton would pick up an upset victory against Hardcore Holly in his first televised match. Following his strong start, the future Legend Killer would get traded to the Raw brand later that year before he sustained the first major injury oh his career.
Orton suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him from in-ring action for several months, and thus, cutting his original momentum out from underneath of him. During this period, Orton would still appear on TV, though he would be sporting a sling and be kept backstage to give updates on his injury recovery. While this would be the first of several serious shoulder injuries for Orton during his WWE career, it would end up being somewhat beneficial to the young wrestler. During his time out of action, WWE hatched the plan for him to join the Evolution faction straight away after his return, which would be a key turning point for his career.
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Randy Orton Once Injured His Shoulder Taking Out The Trash
Following his first shoulder injury in 2002, Orton would deal with sporadic shoulder issues throughout his WWE career, though it would not be until 2012 that a more serious one would arise. Dislocating his shoulder during 2012's Tribute To The Troops, this issue would only worsen due to the fact that The Viper had hypermobile shoulders. Following up on this, WWE would write Orton off of television while also continuing to build The Shield, as the faction assaulted Orton on two occasions. Randy would exit TV for some time and would rehab his shoulder before returning to action in 2013.
Looking at the aforementioned incident where Orton injured his shoulder while taking out the trash, this would occur in October 2015. At the time, The Viper was entangled in a feud with a reunited Wyatt Family and was set to team up with Dean Ambrose to take on the recently-debuted Braun Strowman and Luke Harper in a tag team match at 2015's Hell in a Cell. In a shocking bit of news, mainly due to the cause of the injury, WWE would be forced to pull Orton from the event after he sustained the shoulder injury, sidelining the former World Champion for nine months before making his return in July 2016 for a SummerSlam match with Brock Lesnar that would also see him get injured.
Orton would recover from this injury as well, continuing his legendary career. This year, however, injuries struck Orton again, but this time with his back. It remains to be seen when the Viper will return to WWE.
