If there's one member of the active WWE roster with a clear connection to Vince McMahon, it's Randy Orton.
Now sure, some will point to Roman Reigns being Mr. McMahon's chosen champion for the better part of a decade, with the “Billion Dollar Booker” giving him chance after chance after chance at the top of the card despite being rejected repeatedly by the fans but at this point, Reigns, like John Cena, isn't really an active wrestler anymore and he's done a fantastic job of transitioning into this new version of WWE Creative. Orton, by contrast, feels like a true relic of the last regime, with his absence during the transition from McMahon to Paul “Triple H” Levesque causing his return to feel like Hulk Hogan's 2002 return to WWE despite having the entire Attitude Era happen while he was gone.
So naturally, when news broke that Mr. McMahon's time in the company was coming to an end, opting to resign after being named in the Janel Grant lawsuit, fans wanted to see what Orton had to say on the matter, even if such a question may never be asked to the “Viper” unless he, say, won the Elimination Chamber and was booked for the post-show press conference.
Well, as it turns out, those desires have been answered, as, in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Orton was asked about the allegations and gave a direct though brief answer.
“I’ve got to say this – I wouldn’t be where I am without Vince McMahon taking a chance on me a handful of times. I would not be where I am today without Vince McMahon. But, f**k, I’m reading this s**t. What you’ve seen and read, I’ve seen and read. As far as commenting on that, it f**king hurts my heart. It hurts my heart.”
What Orton did want to talk about was the more macro changes that have been made during his absence, including how excited he is to work with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who he has worked with on and off for over 20 years, including their time together in Evolution.
“So much happened while I was out. When I left, the old guard was still doing its thing. Vince was still around. TV’s were getting rewritten over and over again. The writers were being held up until all hours in the morning. And all that changed.
“I am excited to work for WWE. Nick Khan is amazing. Triple H being in charge of creative is amazing. I’ve had a relationship with him for over 20 years. I went to his wedding back in ‘03. We’ve been at odds before when I was a f**k up when I was young, and I won him back. He’s seen me go from an adolescent a**hole pr**k who didn’t know what I was doing – I was an insecure punk, that’s what I was. I’m the oldest sibling in my family, but he’s like an older brother to me in many ways. He’s always been there and had the best of advice.”
Would it be understandable if Orton was apprehensive about so many changes so soon? Sure, but considering how WWE treated him during his first 20 years with the promotion, this new approach to maximizing their in-ring talents has the potential to really set his career up for future success.
Randy Orton explains the biggest difference about the new WWE.
Continuing his conversation with Justin Barrasso, Randy Orton discussed how, under the previous regime, he was forced to work through a series of injuries that severely impacted his quality of life, not to mention his career longevity. If Orton's initial interactions with the new leaders of WWE are of any indication, his career might go on for a very long time.
“Throughout the course of my career when my back was shot to s**t, there were many times I went to the powers-that-be and said I’d have a longer career if I was off some of these shows so my back could heal up. Instead of 20 days overseas in Europe, I’d say, let me do just 10–or miss a TV once a quarter. I was denied at every turn. ‘I'm sorry Randy, I need you at these shows. Sorry, Randy. Mother Nature gets us all,'” Randy Orton noted.
“Since I’ve been back, post-spinal fusion, and I’m talking like Chicago Survivor Series, Triple H, and Nick Khan reassured me to come to them if I needed anything, and they’d take care of it. They’ve already proven they weren’t full of s**t when they said that. If something is bugging me and I don’t want to put my body through a physical toll of a match, I can still make the TV, cut a promo, and hit an RKO or two. That is going to enable me to do this for a long time. I’m very happy with the changes, and I’m very happy that Nick Khan, Triple H, Bruce Prichard and all those guys are proving they mean what they say. The company changed, and they care about the talent. I think everybody feels the same way.”
You know, Orton has a point here, while seeing him wrestle is a special treat for any fan, when people buy tickets to see a live RAW or SmackDown, they want to see their favorite Superstars, not necessairly see them wrestle a 30 minute five-star banger. Considering Orton is a great talker, putting him in the ring to talk some trash and then hit an RKO or two really is a ton of bang for most people's buck, as he feels like a full-time performer despite having only wrestled nine televised matches over the 13 weeks since his return.
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