While making a rare appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, Randy Orton opened up about one of the most difficult periods of his life, his extended absence from WWE following spinal fusion surgery. The former multi-time WWE Champion offered a raw and emotional account of his mental health struggles, describing how the uncertainty of his wrestling future took a heavy toll.

“Here’s my identity. This is who I am… the one thing I know that I’m good at and I get respect for, and I can’t do it anymore and for like, six months, I was under the impression that that was it… I got to like, a dark place,” Orton shared, reflecting on the psychological toll of potentially having to retire.

He continued to speak openly about the panic attacks and anxiety he experienced. “It was like, it started to become hard to fly. Started to become hard to stay in another bed, and I would be, like, up all night… trying to go to bed at night and then not being able to lay down in bed, because my mind would start going, and then all of a sudden I’d get, like, hot, and I’d have to get out of bed… walking around our yard, just like, taking deep breaths.”

Orton also spoke about the impact it had on his family life. “There was times where… I’d be with my kids… and I’m, I’m like, going through kind of like, I guess, an episode or something… and I’m hiding. You don’t want her to see… because I’m her big, strong dad.”

Despite the emotional turmoil, Orton says he has reached a more stable place mentally. He acknowledged that having the chance to talk about his experience during the podcast was like a form of healing. “I’m in a good place,” he added, noting that discussing his struggles openly “feels like therapy.”