Randy Orton was on the receiving end of a vicious assault on WWE SmackDown.
After Bad Blood went off the air, Kevin Owens launched a surprise attack on Cody Rhodes in the parking lot as the WWE Champion headed to his tour bus. Appearing on the October 11th edition of SmackDown, Owens said he had been suspended and fined for his actions and wasn’t supposed to be there. He also claimed that it was Rhodes who turned his back on him.
When The American Nightmare came out to confront the star, Orton made an appearance to try to calm the situation down. When he got in the ring to stop Owens from attacking Rhodes again, he received an elbow for his efforts and retaliated by punching his tag team partner.
.@RandyOrton tried to be the voice of reason… but he let his fist do the talking instead 😬#SmackDownpic.twitter.com/xIo3fBM9QE
— WWE (@WWE) October 12, 2024
Later in the show, Orton told Rhodes he would talk to Owens to try to resolve the issue. Instead, The Prizefighter attacked The Viper backstage, telling him he “picked the wrong side” before being dragged away by security.
What are you doing, @fightowensfight?!@RandyOrton didn't deserve that… 😳#SmackDownpic.twitter.com/xy1NTAbv4w
— WWE (@WWE) October 12, 2024
Orton and Owens last teamed up on the September 27th edition of SmackDown in a losing effort against Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa of The Bloodline. With Owens’ actions this week, it appears that loss will be the last time we see the pair as a team.
Randy Orton Praises Rising NXT Star
Randy Orton is excited to see the future of Je’Von Evans. Orton made a rare NXT appearance in his home state of Missouri to face the young star. After defeating Evans, Orton predicted big things for Evans in future if he keeps doing what he’s doing. Orton also said he appreciated how respectful and humble Evans was to the 20-year veteran.