This past year has been one of the best of Randy Ortons storied career. He revisited his psycho character from the late 2000’s, with some elements of his early Legend Killer gimmick as well. This included bringing back a deadly finisher, one that was banned for many years.
That is The Punt Kick, a simple move where Orton just runs and kicks a downed opponent right in the head. It always looked deadly, and sometimes it was. This move was banned for a reason, and part of that involved a Punt to the chairman of WWE himself, Vince McMahon.
Randy Orton Concussed His Boss
During an interview with Inside The Ropes, Orton would recall that day that he got the chance to hit The Punt on Vince McMahon. It had long since been rumored that this move injured McMahon, but now we have it from Orton himself.
“With the Punt Kick it was hard because I had to make it look good and its kind of hard to work, for a lack of a better term, a kick to the head that devastating. So many people didn’t want to take it and of course I kicked Vince McMahon. And everyone remembers when I kicked Vince in 2009 giving him a concussion. I think it split him open a little bit. That was me grabbing the brass ring. I was so excited that I had this opportunity that I lost track and lost sight of the number one priority, that is, taking care of your opponent.”
This is something that any other wrestler might have gotten fired from, but Orton was something special and was already untouchable in 2009. The move would be banned however, until earlier this year.
Why Was The Punt Unbanned?
During ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ with Edge, the match would end with a bang, or rather a punt. This was a huge shock to many, with it being nearly a decade since we last saw The Punt used. During the same interview, he explained how he got the move unbanned.
“Now, just with me being a little older and the current situation with the pandemic where we were taping for the past few months, I was able to play with the idea of bringing the Punt Kick back. Since I was playing the Legend Killer persona, I had to bring back the Punt Kick. I devised a way to hit the kick whether we were taping or we were LIVE, it was a hundred percent safe and I’m not going to hurt anybody because that is the number one priority for me. And given the fact that it was banned because it was so dangerous, I think I’m able to do it again because Vince McMahon trusts that I’ve figured out how to make it safe. And I’m glad he said yes.”
Are you glad to see The Punt kick back in Randy Orton’s arsenal? Will it help him overcome The Fiend?Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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