WWE superstar Randy Orton recently opened up about the physical challenges he faced during his long layoff for spinal fusion surgery, revealing that his weight climbed to over 300 pounds. Speaking on the What’s Your Story? with Steph McMahon podcast, Orton detailed his diet and subsequent body transformation.
Orton explained that after learning he would be “off for a while,” his diet changed significantly. “I went from like, kind of 240 to 250-ish. I mean, I did take it to the extreme,” he said. “Over the winter, I had some time off, and I was a little over 300 pounds. Like, ‘Oh, this guy gets a spinal fusion and he gains 80 pounds,’ smart.”
He attributed the weight gain to his “sugar tooth from hell,” and shared some of the specific foods he was eating at the time. “I went through like, a Nutella phase,” he admitted. “And that’s one of the reasons I was just over 300 over Christmas. Is because, like, the big tub of popcorn that has, like, the different… chocolate and caramel… I killed a couple of those, and it’s like, I’ll start fucking with a tin of fucking some shit over Christmas. Servings are 84 servings. Killed this thing in two nights.”
However, once his back was fixed and he was able to train again, he completely changed his approach with the help of a new trainer. “My diet changed,” he said. “I gained a lot of weight while I was out, and it was bad weight, and then I stayed the same weight, but then, like, changed the fat, kind of, into muscle, or my muscle percentage was higher.” He explained that he focused on strengthening his posterior chain to protect his spine, which led to his current impressive physique.
Since returning to the ring, Orton has been a steady hand as one of the top stars on Friday Night SmackDown. After losing to Cody Rhodes in the King of the Ring tournament final, Orton was confronted by a returning Drew McIntyre on SmackDown. The two are now set to reignite their past rivalry in a major singles match at the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Whats Your Story? With Steph McMahon with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
