Earlier this week, there was a report from Fightful stating that Randy Orton has been ‘openly discussing’ his willingness to negotiate with All Elite Wrestling. AEW has already landed former WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and PAC (Neville), but Orton would be the biggest name by a long shot.
On Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry and Bully Ray spoke about the prospect of Orton jumping to AEW when his WWE contract is up. Both of them think it’s something he should seriously consider.
“He’s always been a good businessman,” said Mark Henry. “He’s always, you know took the backseat when he should have said, ‘Hey guys, I’m not doing that.’ He’s always been a good businessman. So why wouldn’t he be a good businessman and say, ‘You know what? I need to entertain this conversation.”
Henry added, “It’s not about the money, it’s about creative control. I think that it would be more creative control and time off with Randy.”
All Elite Wrestling is a well-financed venture. They’ve already proven their willingness to offer big money to secure world class talent. Chris Jericho has stated that his contract with AEW is the most financially lucrative deal he’s ever signed.
The WWE locker room is reportedly taking notice on their newfound negotiating leverage. In addition to big money, AEW is offering something that WWE might not be able to: creative freedom and a lighter schedule. Bully Ray thinks this might be what lures in top talent from WWE, such as Randy Orton.
“They have money,” Bully said of AEW. “They will offer more creative freedom. They will have a much more wrestler friendly schedule. [Orton’s] done it all where he is now, why wouldn’t he be open to it?”
Listen to Busted Open Radio on weekday mornings on SiriusXM Fight Nation Channel 93.
"They have money. They will offer more creative freedom. They will have a much more wrestler friendly schedule. He's done it all where he is now, why wouldn't he be open to it?"
– @bullyray5150 on the reports that Randy Orton is open to talking to #AEW pic.twitter.com/hptOQQgfK6
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) February 6, 2019
