The evolution of Randy Orton‘s WWE career is truly something to behold.
SmackDown Superstar Randy Orton recently sat down with Carl Lamarre of Billboard. When asked about the reverence that still surrounds his 2009 character, Orton said no one would have thought that as it was taking place.
“That’s funny to me — because back in ’09, no one would have thought that, right? It’s like over the course of 15, 16 years, it’s become that. It’s wild to me, I love all of that,” Randy Orton said. “I remember in ’09, it all kinda clicked as a bad guy.
“I just kind of let loose and acted a little bit more crazy. Even down to the body language and stuff. But I think what it came down to was who I was facing in the ring in ’09. I was booked really strong, I think I won the Rumble that year and main-evented WrestleMania with Triple H.
Randy Orton reflects on his 2009 run
“I did the thing where he was handcuffed, and I assaulted Stephanie [McMahon] in front of him, and he was an inch away. He had to sit there and watch as I messed with her, and I kicked Vince in the head. I destroyed the entire McMahon family, and looked real strong doing it.
“When a company gets behind a character like that — I mean, look at Roman Reigns. I think it’s been 11, 12 years since they decided he was the guy, and when the company gets behind somebody, they can make that guy a star. If that’s what they want, that’s what they’ll get. So for a chunk of ’09, that was the case with me. I think it was [a matter of] being given an opportunity in ’09, and I had a home run with it.”
What do you make of Randy Orton’s overall comments? Are you a fan of the 2009 version of The Viper? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
