Randy Orton was helped out of the ring and into an ambulance (Picture: WWE)
WWE superstar Randy Orton was taken out on a stretcher after Kevin Owens hit him with a Piledriver on SmackDown.
The move has been banned in WWE for a long time, and involves a wrestler grabbing their opponent, turning them upside down, and usually dropping into a sitting position, which drives the other person’s head into the mat.
There have been moments in the past where the move has gone badly wrong – including ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin breaking his neck in a match with Owen Hart – which has limited its usage on Raw, SmackDown and NXT for several years.
On Friday, Owens – who was recently in a ‘terrifying’ dune buggy crash before Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia – brought it back as he took his rivalry with Orton to another level, spiking him in the middle of the ring.
‘There’s a reason that damn move is banned,’ shouted legendary commentator Michael Cole, as fans gasped in shock and officially ushered KO away.
Selling the severity of the situation, they put Orton’s neck in a brace, and got him onto a stretcher, with Cody Rhodes by his side as he was wheeled to an ambulance.
Cody Rhodes was by his side as Orton was taken out of the arena (Picture: WWE)
Fans were shocked to see the move being delivered in WWE, with most recalling CM Punk hitting one on John Cena over a decade ago, which was still years after it was officially banned.
‘Piledriver happening on WWE TV is insane considering how long it was banned,’ wrote @ImDustinKyle on X, as @RinHeelLove added: ‘Well, I didn’t have seeing a piledriver in WWE on my bingo card. #Smackdown’
And @VicDaGreat94 tweeted: ‘Kevin Owens giving Randy Orton a piledriver was not something I was expecting to see. WWE hasn’t allowed the piledriver to be used since about 2008. I think it’s only happened one other time. Triple H is cooking with this storyline.’
Kevin Owens attacked Orton and laid him out with a Piledriver (Picture: WWE)
Meanwhile, fans are currently waiting to find out KO’s future amid speculation about his contract status.
There have been conflicting reports about whether or not he’s put pen to paper on a new deal, with some fans wondering if he could end up making the jump to rivals AEW.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk in Lyon, France earlier this year, Owens confirmed his contract was set to end early in 2025 after he signed his previous extension in 2021.
Just hours before Backlash in May, he said: ‘I really don’t take anything for granted, I’ve nine months left on my contact, and I don’t know what can happen from here on out.’
Fans are waiting to find out KO’s future (Picture: WWE)
He also revealed he has no plans to leave WWE of his own accord, particularly after spending a decade with the company since arriving in NXT under Triple H’s leadership in 2014.
Owens – who does have friends like The Young Bucks in AEW – explained: ‘This has been my home for 10 years and it’s beyond the locker room.
‘There’s some very, very, very special people that work behind the scenes that I’ve become very close with, and I really can’t imagine not seeing them as part of my life.’
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