WWE News: Randy Orton Returns At ‘WWE Battleground’, Takes Shot At Brock Lesnar
Following a near 10-month stretch on the WWE’s injured reserve with a shoulder injury, “The Viper” Randy Orton returned at WWE Battleground to be a guest on Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel segment. Orton, who was drafted to SmackDown Live on Tuesday’s WWE Draft night is scheduled to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Orton’s return did not go unnoticed as he and his former rival Jericho exchanged several verbal jabs. At one point, Orton, wearing a dark blue RKO t-shirt and long, black pants, told Y2J that he mistook the Highlight Reel for The Ellen DeGeneres Show because of Jericho’s haircut. That led to a loud “Ellen!” chant from the audience. In typical Jericho fashion, he instructed the audience to shut up.
“During those 9 months, something was missing…and it was THIS!” – @RandyOrton #WWEBattleground #OrtonReturns pic.twitter.com/4opSCpBKg4
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 25, 2016
Jericho played a hype video of Lesnar for Orton, making “The Beast Incarnate” look dominant as Orton prepares to face him next month. After the video ended, Jericho voiced his opinion that Orton is scared of Lesnar and has been ducking him for the past 15 years. Lesnar and Orton have wrestled on WWE television once before, a WWE SmackDown episode on September 5, 2002, when both men were rookies.
Speaking to Booker T on his Heated Conversations Houston radio show, Orton acknowledged his prior relationship with Lesnar when they first start out, riding in cars with “Mr. Perfect” Curt Henning and Big Bossman.
“What a cool car that was. A lot of knowledge; a lot of fun. I know Brock at that level. Even [John] Cena, he started back then with us, but he never rode with Brock and got to know Brock. Me and Brock were pretty tight back in the day.”
Orton went on to acknowledge that Lesnar will likely beat up on him and attempt to take him to Suplex City. But Orton played up his vaunted RKO — the finishing move usually hit out of nowhere — and the fact Lesnar is only one RKO away from ViperVille.
“No enhancement needed,” Orton added, referencing Lesnar’s failed drug tests prior to his UFC 200 bout versus Mark Hunt.
hmm…just like riding a bike.#RKOOuttaNowhere #WWEBattleground
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) July 25, 2016
Orton comments brought a wry smile to Jericho’s face who told Orton he would pay for that comment. After teasing the audience with an RKO for a little bit, Orton finally dropped Jericho with his signature move. With the Gift of Jericho laying unwrapped in the ring, Orton did his customary pose on the turnbuckle.
With Lesnar officially a RAW superstar and Orton a SmackDown superstar, their upcoming bout will be a special interpromotional fight featuring two of the company’s biggest names.
“How epic of a statement could I have made if I came back…and faced @WWEFandango?” – @RandyOrton #WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/sBYPu0sP7W
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 25, 2016
Orton, 36, has accomplished everything there is to do for a WWE superstar over his 14-year career.
“I’ve done a lot in WWE. I’ve won Money in the Bank, main-evented WrestleMania, I was in 12 consecutive WrestleManias until this last year with the shoulder surgery,” Orton told Booker.”It’s getting that WrestleMania match that everybody talks about for years and years and years.”
“People still talk about that Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 25… I have matches I’ve had throughout my career, like Backlash 2004 with Mick Foley. That was the beginning of ‘Randy Orton.’ I think having matches like that people will always bring up – that would be my goal; to have memorable matches and go out there every night to try to steal the show and have the best match of the show.”
With the goal being show-stealing matches, Orton is thrilled to be facing Lesnar on August 21, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
“I always wanted this match, and it just kind of fell in my lap.”
[Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images]
