‘They Might Kill Me’ – Heidenreich Thought He Was ‘Done’ In WWE After Randy Orton Injury Scare

Published: 2 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 2 hours ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

‘They Might Kill Me’ – Heidenreich Thought He Was ‘Done’ In WWE After Randy Orton Injury Scare

Former WWE star Jon Heidenreich has revealed he thought his career was over when he injured Randy Orton during a training session.

Jon Heidenreich returned to WWE in 2003, having previously been on a developmental deal two years earlier, and would go on to become WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal.

Released in January 2006, the now-retired star recently appeared on Insight With Chris Van Vliet and spoke about an early point in his career when he thought it was very much over.

Recalling a past training session, Heidenreich reflected on Randy Orton being taken away in an ambulance after a move went awry, saying:

“Me and Randy, we were actually practicing one day, and I went to give him a sunset flip, or he was giving one, and I lost my balance and fell on him. I landed on his face and neck, and I thought I hurt him, man. I was like, I’m done. That’s Randy Orton. I thought I might have hurt his neck.

“He turned out to be fine. They called an ambulance, bro, because I thought I landed on his face and his neck, and I was thinking, Oh my god, if I hurt him, I’ll say I’m just gonna quit, because they might kill me.”

Van Vliet would comment Heidenreich being released and the decision to bring him back in 2003, with the star saying:

“I went to Zero One, that’s where me and Nathan Jones we were the Ultimate Army. That was a trip, man. That’s a big dude. He used to throw me around in the ring, bro, him and Brock Lesnar.

“When I took moves from them, I felt like a small person. I didn’t feel big because they’re so strong, man. I mean Brock Lesnar gave me a belly to back suplex, and when you pick me up, it was like being on a roller coaster, click, click, click, click, click, click, and I was like, I was at the top, I was like, dude, is he gonna kill me? Because he picked me up like no one ever picked me up. He just held me there, I was like, oh my god, but man, it was perfect.”

Following his second departure from WWE, Heidenreich would head to the independent wrestling scene, with his last singles match being back in 2017, seeing him become 302 Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

Heidenreich’s WWE career saw him feud with The Undertaker, with the rivalry seeing two PLE matches taking place at Survivor Series in November 2004, the following year’s Royal Rumble.

A Familiar Template For A WWE Star

A volatile personality, an imposing presence and a background in American Football, standing at a billed 6ft 7in, it’s easy to see how a man like Jon Heidenreich became a WWE star.

He may be remembered for the “Disasterpieces” poetry, or for the disturbing moment with Michael Cole, but the star fits a template that WWE and other companies have sought for many years, and continues to seek today.

Looking at the current landscape of WWE, Brock Lesnar is probably the star that many think of when they think of imposing presence. That’s not to take away from the likes of Oba Femi and Bron Breakker, both obvious examples of physically impressive specimens.

It would be easy to present any of these stars as just “big guys”, but creative direction allows them to develop character, personality and a rapport with a fanbase that goes beyond their physiques.

Heidenreich may be retired, but there’s always the possibility he could make a one-off return.