An AEW star believes that Randy Orton will leave a lasting legacy.
Despite being in the industry for over 20 years and with nothing left to prove, Orton still remains a full-time wrestler in WWE. Recently returning after 18 months away due to a near career-ending injury, The Viper is still one of the most popular stars on the entire roster. Multiple stars have publicly stated how happy they are to see Orton back in the ring once more, including a wrestler that Orton wrote off WWE TV for good.
Speaking on the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy heavily praised Orton for his accolades, drawing ability and storytelling in his matches:
“He without a doubt will go down as one of the greatest of all time. He’s had a bunch [of world title reigns], so he’s a legit guy. He’s a legitimate Hall of Famer, without a doubt. As they say, a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer. In the whole lore of pro wrestling, he’s a Hall of Famer, no matter what era you’re talking about. He’s a guy who’s just special, who has sold tickets, who has had people care about him, who has evoked emotion. He is a guy that people give a sh*t about. He’s been very consistent.
He might not have the five-star match, he might not have the banger, whatever, but he goes out and he produces. He has these great matches, he tells these great stories over and over again. At the end of the day, after you watch a Randy Orton match, you remember how you felt during that match, especially if there was some hot story connected to it,”
Matt Hardy and The Viper last went to war in 2020 following Edge recently making a shock return to injury at the Royal Rumble. Hardy, who was looking to leave the company at the time, was written off TV by The Apex Predator following multiple chair shots on an episode of Raw. Looking back on the angle that took place over 3 years ago, Matt Hardy was very happy with how he was written off of WWE TV.
Randy Orton Was Ready To Accept Retirement
In the months that followed the 14-time World Champion being written off with an injury, the chances of Orton making a return to action seemed unlikely, especially as doctors reportedly advised Orton that he may never be able to wrestle again. Appearing on Logan Paul’s podcast shortly after making an in-ring return, Randy Orton admitted that he was preparing to accept the fact that he would never make it back to WWE.
H/t to Fightful.