Randy Orton, the "Apex Predator," landed one of the signature moves of Sunday night's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, when he pulled Rob Van Dam off a ladder and hit a midair RKO. Orton went on to win the match, securing a title shot whenever he wants.
Everything was looking up for Orton, but he may have to go on the shelf in a disappointing turn of events. WWE reported that during a Smackdown taping, Orton sustained a cervical strain and cervical neuropraxia.
Orton took to Twitter to calm the nerves of WWE Universe, tweeting, "Hey, remember when I said don't listen to the net? I'm fine. Del Rio's kicks are hard as hell, and I caught one to the neck, part of the job."
Some fans, as well as Bleacherreport.com, have compared Orton's injury to Dolph Ziggler's. The comparison is not in the type of injury, but rather the effect getting hut would have on the character. Ziggler was receiving a heavy push from WWE after winning a Money in the Bank match and cashing it in quickly, only to suffer a concussion that took him out of action for extended time.
Ziggler lost his belt to Del Rio, and has yet to regain it while his character builds back up. Orton has had his own struggles, angering decision makers in the past with performance enhancing drug suspensions. His win at Money in the Bank marked a return to headliner status, but any long-lasting injury would be devastating, as he isn't even expected to cash in his title shot any time soon.
John Cena recently pegged Daniel Bryan, WWE fans' newest darling, as his opponent for Summerslam. Bleacherreport.com also posited a theory that the injury could be part of a storyline intended to involve Orton in a feud with Del Rio, although that scenario seems unlikely.
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