WWE Star Takes Credit For Specific Part Of Randy Orton Return At Survivor Series 2023

After 18 months on the sidelines, Randy Orton returned to in-ring action at WWE's 2023 Survivor Series event with a cheerful greeting from the crowd and a pair of RKOs to his opponents. The first RKO was issued to Dominik Mysterio. The second came at the expense of JD McDonagh, with Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn tossing him off the top of the WarGames cage and into Orton's grasp. According to McDonagh, this spot originated from his own mind.

"My first idea was I was going to moonsault off the cage and [WWE] said, 'No you can't do that. Charlotte [Flair] is gonna do that,'" McDonagh told "Insight With Chris Van Vliet." "I said, 'Okay, well then in that case, I have a slightly more dangerous suggestion, super RKO.' They asked, 'Do you think you can do it safely?' I said I'd have to eyeball it. I'd have to get up there onto the cage and see the height, but I reckon I could."

As McDonagh further explained, he is no stranger to high-risk moves as he took many of them during his teenage years. Described as a sort of game, McDonagh and his friends routinely tested their bumping skills by jumping from increasing heights, with a crash mat laying underneath to cushion their fall. In preparation for his descents, McDonagh recalled hooking his hands behind his back — an action he later replicated at Survivor Series.

"When I was up there on the cage, just about to do it, and Randy's walking over, he's eyeing me up and stuff, I thought about all those bumps that I took," McDonagh said. "I was like 'Okay, just do it like that.' Just put your hands behind your back and leave your head out there for something for him to grab. Thank God it came off great."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight With Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.