Matt Hardy speaks highly of Randy Orton.
Matt Hardy and worked together for many years throughout Matt's time with WWE. Hardy watched Orton grow from a rookie to a multiple-time world champion and one of the most decorated competitors on the WWE roster. Hardy left WWE in 2020, but he still has plenty of respect for Orton's successful career. Orton returned to WWE at WWE Survivor Series, and he has since regained his status as one of the company's top stars.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the AEW star was asked to describe what makes Orton a Hall of Famer in his eyes.
“He’s drawn money, he’s sold tickets. As a heel, he was very, very good, probably excels and probably is where he excels the most and at his best. People will pay because they dislike him, they want to see someone else beat him. Also, he’s is someone that connects with people. He evokes emotion, and he connects with fans that are sitting in those seats. People go, ‘Oh my god, Randy Orton has had so many memorable moments.’ They might not remember his top ten five-star matches, but they’re definitely gonna remember a shit-load of Randy Orton moments, which there has been a bunch," Hardy said.
Hardy was then asked where Orton is on the list of the greatest of all time. He stated that Orton will go down as one of the GOATS, and he again praised Randy by highlighting his remarkable career. Hardy pointed out that Orton has told plenty of great stories.
“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 shit 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 if there was some hot story connected to it," Hardy said.
Orton recently discussed his return to the ring and his recovery from back fusion surgery. Check out his comments here.
Eric Bischoff praised Orton and called him the purest form of a wrestler he has seen in 30 years. More information is available here.
Click here to see what Randy Orton had to say about Dominik Mysterio.
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