Randy Orton has had a very long career in WWE, starting in 2000. He was called up to the main roster two years later after his arrival. A former WWE star recently told a funny story involving The Viper, who is currently out of action after being injured by Kevin Owens in November 2024.
There have been a lot of backstage stories involving Orton over the years, from his time as an upstart in the 2000s to being one of the best veterans in the WWE locker room in his prime.
One of his early companions on the road was Maven, who has made a second career as a YouTuber. The former Tough Enough winner was recently a guest on the Cafe de Rene podcast and answered some fan questions. While talking about The Apex Predator, Maven recalled a hilarious story.r
“I was on the road with this dude, like me and him [sic] would ride up the road and talk about how stupid wrestling is, right? We’d be like, ‘This is the dumbest sh*t ever like we’re grown men in our underwear, fake fighting each other in baby oil.’ (…) He didn’t care, but when you put him in a wrestling ring and the sh*t that literally I didn’t learn psychologically until 10 years removed from the WWE, he knew in month one,” Maven said. [7:13 – 7:51]
Is this man the funniest man in wrestling?
Maven explained that Randy Orton didn’t take wrestling seriously when he was young. However, he admired Orton’s ability to learn the art form.
Maven compares Randy Orton to Michael Jordan
In the same appearance on Cafe de Rene, Maven likened Randy Orton’s mentality to the great Michael Jordan. He explained that Orton had the “gear” many just didn’t have. Jordan is often considered the GOAT of the NBA, winning six championships in the 1990s.
“There’s some people that just have a different gear that they can access. That’s what just separates them from everyone, from the rest of the world, and obviously, Jordan has that. I would say in our business, like Randy [Orton] has that gear. Randy has that something in him that just made him different right than everyone else,” Maven said. [6:48 – 7:09 from the video above]
At the age of 44, Randy Orton is still relatively young. But his body has taken a lot of hits, bumps, and bruises over the years. He almost retired due to a back injury in early 2022 before returning more than a year later at Survivor Series 2023.
If you use quotes from here, please credit Cafe de Rene and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
Edited by Pratik Singh
