Randy Orton has named five current WWE Superstars that he believes have the potential to lead the company into the next generation.
Orton himself has been one of the stars of WWE for the past 15 years. He made his debut for the company in 2002 before becoming the youngest ever World Heavyweight Champion at the age of 24 in 2004.
‘The Viper‘ quickly established himself as one of the faces of the company. He had an entertaining match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21, albeit in a losing effort.
Orton then teamed up with Edge to form the highly successful Rated-RKO team. He then engaged in singles feuds with the likes of John Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. He was also the leading figure in the early stages of ‘The Authority’ storyline. Overall, Orton is a 20-time champion in WWE.
He is currently part of the tag team RK-Bro, alongside Riddle. The pair are reigning Raw Tag Team Champions. They retained the belts at WrestleMania 38 after winning a triple threat tag match against Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford).
Randy Orton’s changing WWE role
Orton’s role in WWE is now slightly different from when he was emerging through the ranks as a young wrestler. Alongside his in-ring duties, he now acts as a mentor to younger stars.
The best example of this can be seen in Riddle. Their tag team is arguably the most popular in WWE right now. Riddle has proven himself to be an exceptional in-ring performer and entertaining on the mic.
Speaking on Steve Austin‘s ‘Broken Skull Sessions’ podcast back in January, Orton praised his tag team partner.
He said (quotes via WrestleTalk): “When I’m out there in the ring, and the red light is on, I’m feeling his energy, and the people are feeling it. It’s a weird thing he’s got. He’s got something special.
“He’s a lot smarter than he lets on, on TV, in real life – he’s a sharp dude. I think – he’s lucky to have me there, I’m giving him the rub – I think I’m more lucky to have Riddle with me because of why you’re asking me that question: You’re having a lot of fun out there, I see you smiling, I see you having a good time in that babyface run. I think that is directly related to him.”
Randy Orton names the WWE Superstars with top potential
During an interview with Ryan Satin on the ‘Out of Character‘ podcast, Orton was asked about what he would like his legacy to be in WWE. In his answer, he directly named five WWE stars with top potential.
He explained (quotes via Wrestling News): “I want my legacy to be that I made that the guys like Edge, and Seth Rollins, and AJ Styles and, God, I miss Daniel Bryan. I wish he was still here.
“But these guys that are coming up, like [Damian] Priest, [Austin] Theory, The Street Profits, Riddle, these guys that have all the potential in the world.
“In some cases, like the first guys I listed, Roman [Reigns] as well, these guys that can work, and they know the art of this business, I want my legacy to be that I was able to, with these gentlemen, take this business to the next generation and make sure that this new wave of talent knows how to do it the right way, staying true to the art of what it is, and making sure that number one priority of your opponent’s health that you’re in the ring with.”
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