Keith Lee received what he feels is the ultimate validation from Randy Orton.
Lee isn’t exactly a rookie. He made appearances in ROH back in 2015 and was highly praised for his classic matches with Donovan Dijak, now T-BAR in WWE, under the PWG banner. Keith Lee signed with WWE in 2018 and made a name for himself on NXT. He ended up becoming the NXT and NXT North American Champion.
Keith Lee Has A Huge Supporter In Randy Orton
Speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, Lee explained how some encouraging words from Randy Orton gave him a nice morale boost.
“I don’t know many people that get to walk into the main roster and get to immediately work with Randy Orton, but that was something where I feel like, ‘I’m good for the rest of my career.’ Randy is someone that has kind of become a mentor if you will, and someone that leads the way in great fashion. The moment he told me that I’m really good at this thing, I didn’t care what anybody else thought anymore. He’s not a person that will compliment you on your abilities if he doesn’t mean it. To get his approval is something like, I’m good because now I know I’m everything I say I am and I’m good with that. However everything else goes, it’s fine.”
Lee has been undergoing a character change on Monday Night Raw. He is now going by the name “Bearcat Lee.” Lee has been facing heels as of late but he definitely has a mean streak going. There is no more smiling from Keith Lee with this change in direction.
Both Lee and Orton are currently on the same brand. This means the two may be able to mix things up again in the near future. Orton is one-half of the Raw Tag Team Champions with Riddle as “RKBro.”
Another title match has been added to the WWE Crown Jewel event.
WWE will be making its way back to Saudi Arabia on Oct. 21. The show will feature the highly-anticipated WWE Universal Title match between champion Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. A triple threat match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship between Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks will also be featured at Crown Jewel.
We now have another title match added to the mix. Raw Tag Team Champions Riddle and Randy Orton will put their gold on the line against AJ Styles and Omos in a rematch. RK-Bro defeated Styles and Omos for the tag team championships back in August at the Summerslam event.
“At WWE Crown Jewel, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro will go head-to-head with former titleholders AJ Styles & Omos in what is sure to be an explosive WWE Raw Tag Team Title rematch.”
Orton has missed a few dates as of late. It was reported by PWInsider that he hadn’t been cleared to compete. It seems that whatever issues Randy Orton had have been resolved.
WWE Crown Jewel will also feature the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown finals. While it hasn’t been announced, Goldberg is expected to meet former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley in a rematch at Crown Jewel.
An update on the status of Randy Orton has been revealed through a new report.
Many WWE fans have been curious about Orton’s latest absence. Orton missed a house show date this past weekend despite being advertised and wasn’t seen on the Sept. 27 edition of Monday Night Raw. His absence has been puzzling as “The Viper” just recently took some time off before making it back in time for SummerSlam.
PWInsider is reporting that Orton is not cleared for action. At this time, there is no word on why Orton hasn’t been cleared or when he’s expected to be back on WWE TV. Randy Orton was last seen on the Sept. 20 episode of Monday Night Raw when he went one-on-one with AJ Styles.
Orton is one of the top superstars in WWE. Whenever he’s absent without explanation, it’s quite noticeable. Orton has won world championships multiple times under the WWE banner. He is currently one-half of the Raw Tag Team Champions with Riddle. Riddle was in action on the latest episode of Raw as he faced off with Styles.
Stick with SEScoops for the latest details on Randy Orton’s latest absence from WWE TV once that information becomes available.
Dave Meltzer talked about this change on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He explained how the big title match was moved to weekly television from the PPV event because WWE lost to AEW in 18-49 demo:
“They pulled the match because they lost in the ratings and they’re putting Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley, the pay-per-view main event on TV tomorrow night. Yea, that’s among the responses [to AEW]. I’m not surprised.”
Meltzer also mentioned how the original plans were for RK-Bro to defend the Raw tag team championship against Bobby Lashley and MVP. They spent last week’s episode of Raw building this match only for it to be changed.
Lashley and MVP had won a tag team turmoil match on Raw to earn the right to face the current Raw tag team champions this Monday. Randy Orton had been announced to challenge the All-Mighty for WWE championship at Extreme Rules.
While the latest episode of Monday Night Raw still garnered more viewers than Dynamite overall, AEW’s show was able to beat WWE’s red brand in the 18-49 demographic for the first time.
Reports suggested that the WWE officials held meetings after Dynamite’s victory over Raw. Now it has been confirmed that the title match was shifted from the PPV as a result of the TV ratings.
Jim Ross says he had to convince Vince McMahon to give Randy Orton a shot with WWE.
Orton is a surefire future WWE Hall of Famer. “The Viper” has grown throughout the years to become one of the most renowned performers in the wrestling industry. There was a time, however, when it looked like Orton wasn’t going to even get a shot at fame.
On a recent edition of the Grilling JR Podcast, Ross explained why Vince McMahon needed to be convinced to hire Orton despite the fact that he was a third-generation talent.
“Every recruiting story is different. I had a hard sell to get Randy Orton hired because of his negative exit from the Marines, and Vince, being a strong patriot, didn’t like how that worked out with Randy in the military. I said, ‘Didn’t you get a second chance, [Vince]? Well, what’s the difference with this kid? He’s third generation. If he hits, look what we have. If he doesn’t hit, I can get rid of him in 90 days notice. What do we have to lose?’”
“He’s going to end his career as one of the greatest talents. Hall of Famer, no doubt, but also going to be regarded by his peers as one of the greatest in-ring workers. It worked out well.”
It’s safe to say that McMahon made the right move to ultimately drop his concern over “The Viper’s” military history. While Orton was said to have not matured right away in his WWE run, he eventually settled down and realized his responsibilities in representing the company.
WWE has seemingly made a change of plans for the top prize on the Raw brand as a commercial aired during SmackDown noting that Bobby Lashley will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton on Monday’s Raw.
It should be noted that WWE had already announced Orton challenging Lashley for the title at Extreme Rules.
RK-Bro (Orton & Matt Riddle) were originally scheduled to defend their Raw Tag Team Titles against Lashley & MVP on Monday’s Raw, but WWE’s website has taken down their article for that Tag Team match so it looks like that has been nixed.
This past Monday night, Lashley and MVP won a Tag Team Turmoil match on Raw to become the number one contenders to Orton & Riddle’s titles. Lashley and MVP and AJ Styles & Omos were the final two teams in the match. After the bout, Orton hit Lashley with an RKO, which was the second straight week that had happened as Orton previously did it following RK-Bro retaining their titles against Lashley and MVP in the main event of Raw.
WWE holds this Monday’s Raw at the TD Garden in Boston. Also announced for the show is Doupdrop likely wrestling Eva Marie after Doupdrop issued the match challenge.
AJ Styles and Omos put the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships on the line in a match against Randy Orton and Matt Riddle at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event
The match opened the show. The finish saw Styles get out of a roll up and Orton hit the RKO for the win. Thus, we have new champions.
Orton had been off TV for several weeks before making his return on the August 9th edition of WWE Raw. It was reported that the reason he had been off TV was due to him being placed on the disabled/inactive list, but there were no issues between Orton and the company.
Before his hiatus, the future WWE Hall of Famer was last seen in action on the June 21st episode of Raw where he lost to John Morrison in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. He was later advertised for the last chance qualifying match, but Riddle ended up replacing him in the match.
It was said that WWE did have creative plans for Orton and Riddle through SummerSlam, but “the unforeseen circumstances of Orton’s absence required an audible be called.” Once Orton returned, he was put into the feud with Styles and Omos.
What are your thoughts on Randy Orton and Matt Riddle winning the Raw Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Orton’s return should make Matt Riddle very happy. The other member of RK-Bro has been having a rough time dealing with the Viper’s absence. He Tweeted out the following earlier today in the hopes that Orton would return:
It had been reported by Fightful that he was scheduled to return on last week’s show but this did not happen. It is not clear what delayed Orton’s return by one week. He has been absent from WWE programming since June 21st. It is not known what has led to Orton being off television since then.
Orton’s RK-Bro teammate Riddle spoke to Talk Sport recently about the pairing.
“Randy is amazing. He’s awesome,” Riddle said. “I love that guy, I love that man of mine, Randy Orton [laughs]. I mentioned probably around WrestleMania time and I was like ‘hey, how good would it be if Randy and I tagged up, partnered up and were RKBro?’
He also spoke about Orton’s reaction to the RK-Bro team name.
“He was like ‘Hey, this RKBro thing you mentioned, it actually sounds pretty cool.’ And I was like [speechless expression]. Nobody else thought it was cool, the only people who really thought it was cool was Randy and me. And I was like ‘no way!’
Randy Orton hasn’t been on WWE RAW in over a month. This has greatly impacted his RK-Bro teammate Matt Riddle, who continues to point toward the ceiling any time he mentions the Viper. According to local advertising in the Chicago market, however, Orton is expected to return to RAW on next week’s show.
The Viper is expected back on WWE as early as next week. He will be resuming his partnership with Riddle in the lead-up to SummerSlam on August 21st. Riddle has been hinting at Orton’s return on Raw Talk and social media.
Randy Orton’s last performance in WWE was on the June 21st edition of RAW. He lost a Money in the Bank Qualifying match to John Morrison and has been gone ever since.
Riddle lost a singles match to John Morrison on Monday’s Raw after being distracted by Omos, who broke his scooter. This could be WWE’s way to set up a tag title feud, with RK-Bro chasing Omos and AJ Styles for the tag titles.
Randy Orton is no stranger to tag team gold. He’s a 2-time WWE tag-team champion. He previously held titles with Edge as Rated RKO and with the Wyatt Family in 2016.
Randy Orton has been one of the top heels of WWE for almost 2 decades now. He has done some nasty things as part of his character on TV in this time which sometimes have made even The Viper uncomfortable.
While recently appearing on The Kurt Angle Show, the Legend Killer opened up about such moments from his career and revealed which one of them made him the most uncomfortable.
Orton talked about the promo he cut on Eddie Guerrero after his death. Randy had said that the late legend was not in heaven and he was actually in hell and he admitted not being comfortable with the line:
“[I was] 100% was not comfortable with it, Rey assured me that it’s something that Eddie would’ve wanted. Even still, Rey and myself went to Vickie and Vickie gave us her blessing
She said the same thing ‘Eddie would’ve wanted to help you guys in this manner. If he could’ve used his death in some way to help the business, he would’ve wanted us to do it, especially with Rey being involved.’”
Randy Orton later acknowledged that the storyline helped his career, but he still puts that promo on top of the list of things that have made him uncomfortable:
“There’s a lot of things I’ve done in my career that have made me uncomfortable, I think we can all agree on that individually, but that in particular was something I’d put at the top of that list.”
Randy Orton was involved in a feud with Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle in 2006 only months after the passing of Eddie Guerrero in November 2005. This feud led to a match among the three at WrestleMania 22 where Rey Mysterio defeated both the stars and won the world title.
WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently appeared on The Kurt Angle Show podcast via AdFreeShows. Orton discussed a number of topics with the Olympic Gold Medallist, including his ‘RK-BRO’ tag team partner Matt Riddle.
Orton revealed that he was not a fan of the ‘laid back’ Riddle, saying that he felt disrespected the first time that he met him. Randy would however get to finally enjoy the company of the former UFC fighter.
“My olive branch was basically me just looking at Matt and I go ‘Oh, there he is, there he is,’ just kind of ice breaker, expecting a ‘Oh hey Randy, my name is Matt, nice to meet you’” Randy Orton revealed of Riddle and their initial meeting.
“But instead, Matt just kind of, with the bloodshot eyes, glanced over at me and just kept walking” Orton continued. “I remember thinking ‘That motherf***er.’ For quite a while I didn’t like Riddle and it was because of that little scenario.”
Randy Orton on ‘That Motherf*cker’ Riddle
“I love the guy now,” Orton continued, not confirming what the bloodshot eyes referred to… “I’ve been in the locker room with the guy for probably a year, I was there when a couple weeks ago he forgot his verbiage live on RAW and scooted off on the scooter with Asuka in the back and everyone thought it was brilliant.”
“That was some of the best s–t I’ve ever seen” Orton added of the seemingly messed up segment a few weeks ago. “His backstage character, the ‘everything’s cool,’ and rambling nature of his promos, that works because in the ring, he goes. He reminds me of [Kurt Angle].”
“That dude, he can do it all and he busts his ass in the ring” Randy Orton stated. “Some of the matches he’s had with Sheamus, not my style of match I like to do have, but the Riddle – Sheamus matches I’ve seen as of late have been amazing. I think he’s going to do quite well, he’s going to do well” Orton concluded.
How far do you think Matt Riddle can go for WWE? Let us know in the comments
Matt Riddle and Randy Orton have formed an unlikely team on RAW as of late. It does not appear as though this is a short-term angle for R-K-Bro either.
According to a report from PW Insider, Riddle and Orton are expected to receive a sizeable push as a team on RAW. There are no plans to break them up and RK-Bro merchandise is expected to be produced and marketed shortly.
Randy Orton Speaks On His Impression of Matt Riddle
Orton was on the Kurt Angle podcast recently and spoke about having been impressed with Riddle thus far.
“Matt Riddle, yeah. I think he is going to do fantastic, I think he has already kind of outshined most of his little class of NXT that have kind of come up over the last year. I mean, you have a lot of those guys doing well,” Orton said about Riddle (transcriptions via Sportskeeda).
Orton also spoke about his first time meeting Riddle during the interview.
“I walk by Matt Riddle, and my olive branch was basically me all looking at Matt, and I just said, I go, ‘Oh, there he is, there he is!’ Just kind of icebreaker, expecting maybe a, ‘Oh, hey Randy. My name is Matt; nice to meet you.’ But instead, Matt just kind of barely, you know, with the bloodshot eyes glanced over at me, he is just like, and he just kept walking. I remember thinking, ‘that motherf****r’.”
He’s a prick and needs a good ass whoopin…. but also impressed me tonight. Fuck. He beat me. Ok ‘bro’ let’s do this….. Also happy #420AllDayhttps://t.co/3gVR68TZUG
Randy Orton wrestled Matt Riddle in a singles match on last week’s episode of Raw after WWE changed its plans as Orton had been advertised to wrestle Braun Strowman on this show.
After the match, there had been a lot of speculation about Orton’s status as he suffered some sort of right shoulder injury during it. The injury appeared to happen when he hit a standard powerslam on Riddle.
On the broadcast, Corey Graves and the rest of the announcers picked up on an apparent injury. Orton continued to work the match and did use his right arm.
Fightful Select reports that Orton suffered a deep bruise around his shoulder area and was noted that at least initially there did not seem to be any major damage.
Thus, it appears he won’t be on the shelf for a long period of time. As it stands right now, there’s no word yet on whether that has changed. WWE has yet to announce him for Monday Night Raw, but it will be interesting to see whether he appears.
It’s believed that the feud with Riddle will continue. Fans may know that Orton has had a history of shoulder problems from when he was younger as it started in 2002 after making his Raw debut. At the time, it put him out of action for several months. At various times throughout his career, he has dealt with other shoulder issues.
Orton does a pre-match workout to help increase strength in his shoulders before he goes out and performs.
Over the weekend, WWE announced that Braun Strowman would face Randy Orton in singles competition this week on RAW. A post was made for the match on WWE.com that has since been removed. Then on Monday, there was no mention of the match in WWE.com’s official RAW preview and the match did not take place on the show.
On Monday afternoon, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Vince McMahon had made numerous changes to the show that afternoon.
“This all could change because Vince McMahon showed up and made a number of changes in the show,” wrote Dave Meltzer about that night’s show.
According to a report from PW Insider, by the time the production meeting for RAW began yesterday, the Orton vs Strowman match had already been removed by Vince himself. There was no reason given for the change.
Randy Orton would lose to Matt Riddle on last night’s show. Braun Strowman would team with Drew McIntyre against MACE and T-Bar in tag-team action.
Orton took to Twitter and commented on the scrapped match and the possibility of it taking place against somewhere down the line.
He’s a prick and needs a good ass whoopin…. but also impressed me tonight. Fuck. He beat me. Ok ‘bro’ let’s do this….. Also happy #420AllDayhttps://t.co/3gVR68TZUG
WWE opened the second night of WrestleMania 37 with Randy Orton battling Bray Wyatt, who was portraying his Fiend character.
After a distraction by Alex Bliss, who appeared from the giant music box at ringside and had black goo on her head, Orton managed to hit the RKO for the win.
This finish caught many fans and even oddsmakers off guard as Wyatt had been the big favorite heading into the match. The end of the match also felt flat to some.
Fightful Select reports that the plan as of last Friday was for The Fiend to win the match. However, the decision was made over the weekend to have Orton win the bout. It was noted there was never a plan in order for a Firefly Funhouse Match.
Those associated with the angle were never given an endgame at any point prior to the weekend. In fact, the only thing that was known was how it would write Orton off of television for a good period of time as originally planned.
The surprise finish was pitched over the weekend as Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon were instrumental in the change and the decision-making associated.
Finally, it was said management was happy with the finish as it played out, but the wrestlers they’ve heard from were exceedingly confused.
Randy Orton and rapper Soulja Boy continue to exchange trash talk on social media.
The beef began earlier this month, when Soulja Boy tweeted that the ‘rap game’ is faker than WWE. Any wrestling fan knows, using the “f word” is a blatant sign of disrespect to the athletes who devote their lives and risk their health for our entertainment.
The tweet got the attention of several WWE Superstars, including Randy Orton. The Viper went off on Soulja Boy. You can see two of his tweets below and their entire exchange from early March here.
Ps @sanbenito would beat the fuck outta you. Why? How? Because he’s seen our world. Respects it and knows what it takes and finds himself lucky to be a part of it. You wanna talk fake? Pawn that cheap ass chain and come work for it you one hit wonder ass mutha fucka https://t.co/zJPMmuqskr
Soulja Boy must have liked the attention he received by the online tussle with Orton, because he’s back at it again. He fired off a few flagrant tweets at WWE and ‘Randy Organ’ Sunday morning:
WWE scared of me. And Randy organ pussy. They big cap ? use somebody else name for ratings. I knew they was too fake to have me there I’ll slap the shit out dude live.
Randy Orton responded late Sunday night by putting Soulja Boy’s physical size into perspective and saying “you’re welcome” for giving him some attention.
My dick taller then you. Weighs more too. Go to bed you fucking infant. You’re welcome for the boost. Go choke on a keyboard. https://t.co/CQUn6WHpGa
Rapper Bow Wow recently appeared on the Heels Pops Chairshots podcast. The rap star discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the recent Twitter ‘beefs’ between rappers and some WWE Superstars.
“I had to call Soulja,” Bow Wow began, discussing the ongoing ‘feud’ with Randy Orton. “I said ‘Soulja you made fun of Randy Orton! This guy has 6.5 million fans. He’s not one of those guys that needs your retweets. Randy Orton is a star. He’s there. Leave him alone! Go after The Miz!’”
Bow Wow also discussed how Bad Bunny has been used on WWE programming over the past few months.
“I love what Bad Bunny is doing,” stated Bow Wow. “But I want to see Shaquille O’Neal stuff. I loved that. It was so entertaining.”
Bow Wow on Shaq
Bow Wow continued talking about Shaq’s appearance on AEW Dynamite, where he took a hellacious bump through two tables to the outside in his match against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet.
“He got hit in the back with a chair, then he turned around and started whooping everyone” Bow Wow recalled. “Then he took the fall through the table. That’s a once in a life time opportunity to do that.”
Bow Wow has reportedly been considering training to join WWE in the near future. It has not been confirmed how far along, or even if he has begun, training to get inside the squared circle.
Randy Orton has been a top star in WWE since winning the World Heavyweight Title in the main event of the 2004 SummerSlam pay-per-view event.
He’s been in that spot despite any setbacks that he’s created in his way and will likely be in that position until he walks away from the business. On late Sunday night after being beaten by Alexa Bliss at Fastlane, he gave credit is due.
A fan sent out a tweet about how Orton mentioned WWE producer Shane Helms during his new Broken Skull Sessions interview with Steve Austin for taking the RKO in the early days of his career. Helms responded to that tweet by writing, “Yup. @RandyOrton is one of those rare people in this biz that actually give credit where it’s due.
Orton responded to Helms and made it known that he will have his spot in WWE as long as he wants to have it.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for many different people. I’ll never forget that. But I know, and they know. No problem giving credit where credit is due. I have a spot. I’ll have that MOTHER F–KING spot as long as I want it. But make no mistake, I didn’t get here by myself.”
Randy Orton picked up on a 1-week old argument he’d had with Soulja Boy early this morning. Last week, Orton and several others fired off shots at Soulja Boy after the rapper referred to WWE as “Fake.” After taking 7 days off from Twitter, Orton started things up again around 5 AM est this morning.
Orton responded to a Tweet from the NXT UK account:
Fake. Right @souljaboy ? Btw, which one of yo baby’s mommas do I send the bill to for making you relevant again? I assume they all own yo ass so whose cuttin those checks. https://t.co/EvZUOcJ3Hx
“Does the rap game take years off your life and leave you with countless injuries and debilitating pain? Oh well maybe just stick to super soaking hoes or whatever it is you did 15 years ago,” T-Bar Tweeted.
Randy Orton then posted two Tweets in response last week as well.
“Fake? Dare this prick to step up. He dont like movies? Consider us actors that do stunts, without pads 200 days a year and don’t bitch when we get surgically repaired and come right back. Consider us 100 times tougher then anyone you’ve come across. Aint nuthin but a bitch ass…” Orton Tweeted.
Randy Orton has called out Soulja Boy for comments the rapper made about WWE being fake. Soulja Boy Tweeted out that the rap game is faker than WWE and drew heavy criticism from those in the wrestling industry and some of its fans.
“Does the rap game take years off your life and leave you with countless injuries and debilitating pain? Oh well maybe just stick to super soaking hoes or whatever it is you did 15 years ago,” T-Bar Tweeted.
Randy Orton then posted two Tweets in response.
“Fake? Dare this prick to step up. He dont like movies? Consider us actors that do stunts, without pads 200 days a year and don’t bitch when we get surgically repaired and come right back. Consider us 100 times tougher then anyone you’ve come across. Aint nuthin but a bitch ass…” Orton Tweeted.
Orton then noted that Bad Bunny would win in a fight against Soulja Boy.
Ps @sanbenito would beat the fuck outta you. Why? How? Because he’s seen our world. Respects it and knows what it takes and finds himself lucky to be a part of it. You wanna talk fake? Pawn that cheap ass chain and come work for it you one hit wonder ass mutha fucka https://t.co/zJPMmuqskr
‘Crank that’ came out in ‘07 you had a hell of a year. Serious $. Hats off to ya my dude. Here’s the thing tho… I like rap. I bump that shit all day whether it’s tunechi, meek, JZ…but you call what I do to survive, fake? Fuck that. Come to my world and say that. Dare ya https://t.co/P3qx5bu6ks
If you mad because I spit facts just say that. What you do is FAKE and I stand on that. What I do is REAL. Come to your world? Lol welcome to Soulja World ? ?? https://t.co/KofrYkD95J
U spittin facts? Seems like all you spittin is the same mess you rap about. Nut. Clear your throat my dawg, and be there. Enough talk. Back it up. https://t.co/rN8JY5AX3q
WWE United States Champion Matt Riddle recently spoke to ViBe & Wrestling. The ‘Original Bro’ discussed a number of topics during the interview, including some dream matches that he wants in WWE.
“Edge is one of my dream matches” Riddle mentioned on the show. “I mentioned him already on my dream scenario for a tag match. He is so good, and brings the presence.”
“It is the same with Randy Orton” Matt Riddle continued. “Randy is so good, so big, so athletic and such a household name. He is a dream match.”
Matt Riddle on Dream Matches
Matt Riddle finished by naming another of WWE’s veteran performers. “AJ Styles, especially with this new giant, he is a dream match. So if you can be in a program with them or get in a rivalry with them certainly is career making.”
Matt Riddle’s WrestleMania 37 match has not yet been confirmed publicly. There were unsubstantiated reports that WWE were planning a Goldberg vs Riddle match at the Show of Shows; but again these have not been confirmed with any verifiable sources.
Edge and Randy Orton are already set for WrestleMania programs with Roman Reigns and The Fiend respectively. A potential United States Championship match between Riddle and AJ Styles is however a possibility.
Earlier this month, Randy Orton expressed his interest in working with Karrion Kross.
Since Kross signed with WWE and joined NXT last year, he’s been positioned as a top star. He was fast-tracked to the top of the card and the only reason he’s not the NXT Champion right now is due to him suffering a shoulder injury that resulted in him being put on the sidelines.
He noted that he laughed about it at first as he was done doing his morning cardio and saw it on his phone.
“My first, immediate reaction, because I saw what time it was tweeted, I was like, ‘What?!? What is this?’ It was very late in the morning. I was like, ‘I clearly missed a very good time last night.’ But, yeah, it was very flattering and I thought it was awesome, and I think the world of him.”
He noted that he thinks people should have more fun with social media instead of being serious while using it. Kross doesn’t know him, but has heard that Orton has a sense of humor.
“I’ve been aware of that for a time and as flattering as it was, I know he’s only kidding around. But, I can’t wait to work with him in the future. I’m definitely interested in doing that. In order for him to hit the RKO, he’s going to have to give me his back, and a lot of bad things can happen. Just thought I’d throw that out there for peace of mind.”
Orton is currently in a feud with Bray Wyatt while Kross took on NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar on Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
NXT Champion Finn Balor was this week’s guest on the WWE After The Bell podcast.
Balor discussed his current run in NXT and revealed he initially thought he’d be there for just a few months. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Balor said of his time in NXT. “I was kind of under the impression that it was going to be a 3 month deal. Reboot Finn, reset and go back to RAW or go back to SmackDown, go back to things as normal.”
He added that things just evolved into something nobody expected, similar to how NXT has evolved as a brand. Sometimes, you have to know when to move from one chapter of your career to the next. Balor did this with his time wrestling in Europe, in Japan and in WWE.
“I don’t know what to expect going forward, I don’t know how long it’s going to last but I have to say, I’m super happy in NXT and there’s no reason for me to want to move anywhere in my career at this point.”
Randy Orton In NXT
Finn Balor was also asked which WWE Superstars he’d like to see in NXT. He said some fans might expect him to say Kevin Owens or Ricochet. However, he’d like to see Randy Orton on WWE’s black and gold brand.
“I feel like Randy could really bring NXT to the next level, with regards to the effect he’d have on the people around him in the locker room and in the ring, with his professionalism and his experience.”
Balor spoke fondly of his time working with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe, noting that he leaerned a lot from both of them during his first NXT run.
WWE legend Randy Orton sees dollar signs in former NXT Champion Karrion Kross.
The Viper competed against Edge on Monday’s WWE Raw (Results). The longtime rivals wrestled in the main event. 24 hours after winning the Royal Rumble, Edge defeated Orton thanks to a distraction by Alexa Bliss.
Orton stayed up late Monday night and shared some thoughts on social media. Orton came across a video posted by NXT star Karrion Kross. As seen below, Kross is depicted in Manhattan’s financial district. He narrates the video and speaks about one of his favorite subjects: time.
“Time tells all,” said Kross. “You know, I’ve always had an obsession with time. Or perhaps, time has had an obsession with me. I’ve never really known the difference.”
Randy Orton responded to the video with a message to Karrion Kross. He told Kross, “Get yo ass up here,” a reference to WWE’s main roster. Orton then laid out a challenge, sharing his opinion that the two grapplers could do big business together.
“Let’s fight, make some money and crack a beer. Wtf you waiting for??? Time? F*ck time.”
You can see the video and Orton’s reply in the tweet below:
Get yo ass up here and let’s fight make some $ and crack a beer. Wtf you waiting for??? Time? Fuck time. Haha I’ll set my alarm https://t.co/dC7zI2gjLf
Randy Orton also reached out to WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold Steve Austin.” Orton lamented that Austin has not invited him to be a guest on his Broken Skull Sessions. In a tweet deep into the night, Orton said it’s “f*cked up” that he’s yet to be interviewed on Austin’s WWE Network show.
He complimented Austin as the “Baddest MFer to lace a pair of boots” and praised him as one of the greatest of all time. Randy Orton wants to know, “Where you at Steven?”
I think it’s fucked up @steveaustinBSR hasn’t had me on yet. Baddest mfer to lace a pair of boots and prob one of the top GOATS of all time. Real talk. Where you at Steven?
Randy Orton has had an incredible 20-year career thus far. He’s certainly got plenty to talk about. Steve Austin gets some killer interviews out of his guests. This is a pairing we’d love to see in the months ahead.
Jim Ross recently spent some time on his “Grillin JR” podcast talking about the time WWE hired Randy Orton. According to JR, Orton was someone he had to convince Vince McMahon to hire. This was due to Vince being hesitant to sign the 3rd generation Superstar on account of his dishonorable discharge from the US Marines.
“Believe it or not, he was somewhat a controversial hire for us,” Ross said on the show regarding Orton. “Vince was the problem child that went to military school and Randy was the problem child that went to the Marines and got dishonorably discharged.”
“That was an issue for Vince?” Conrad Thompson asked.
“Big time,” JR responded.
“I said ‘Vince, you got a second chance, so why not this kid? He’s only a 3rd generation performer and both his father and his grandfather were outstanding in-ring guys.”
Orton wrestled Triple H in the main event of last night’s RAW. He was originally scheduled to face Drew McIntyre.
According to a report from TMZ, Orton spent 38 days in a military prison as a result of multiple incidents of going AWOL.
Orton’s history with the Marines came up again in 2012 when he was removed from the Marine 3 WWE film project. A WWE representative told TMZ that Orton’s removal was due to his past with the organization.
“WWE demonstrated poor judgment in signing Randy Orton for the 3rd installment of the film,” the statement reads. “Despite Randy’s popularity, the fact that he was dishonorably discharged from the USMC made it inappropriate for him to be cast in this film.”
