Triple H Addresses Controversial WWE King Of The Ring Finish

Triple H comments on the controversial finish of Gunther vs. Randy Orton.

by Andrew Pollard
WWE King and Queen of the Ring Gunther Randy Orton
WWE

While Gunther vs. Randy Orton was largely a fantastic finale to the 2024 King of the Ring, that match did end in rather controversial fashion.

After Orton had hit his second RKO of the contest, his pinfall attempt on the Ring General was broken at the two-count after Gunther hit the wounded left leg of Randal Keith. From there, the Imperium man used a crucifix pin to get the 1-2-3. However, it was glaringly obvious that Randy's left shoulder was off the mat as the pinfall was counted.

Speaking to Bryon Saxton after that match, Paul Levesque addressed this controversial finish, admitting that, while he'd not seen it in real-time, a replay clearly shows that one of Randy Orton's shoulders was up during that pin process. The Game confirmed that the referee's decision is final, but he did also note how Gunther vs. Orton will be played back at some point, with Levesque stating that Gunther will want to clear up any controversy and remove any sort of asterisk that surrounds his King of the Ring win.

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As for Orton, Triple H stated how the 14-time World Champion is banged up with knee and back issues, saying how it might be a "moment or two" before the 44-year-old is ready to step back in the ring with Gunther.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.