"WWE lifers have their opinion," "That's pretty bad" - Fans surprised by Randy Orton's claims about AEW and Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton has courted controversy with his recent quotes about WWE, AEW, and Cody Rhodes. Fans have now reacted to the comments made by the multi-time world champion.

In a recent interview, the Viper stated his thoughts about the entire episode of The American Nightmare leaving WWE, going to AEW, and returning. The star acknowledged Rhodes' role in building AEW from the ground up and positioning it as a legitimate competitor to WWE.

"And what he did for the business when he left and what he did for us talent in offering a competition, and I don’t know if I call it competition now, but for a hot second there, Cody was buzzing because he got these guys together, got a ragtag group of guys together and got a TV deal and was drawing eyes from all over the world with this product," Orton said. "And the fact that he came back to us, I think, kind of shows you where the obvious No. 1 place to be is if you’re a pro wrestler." [H/T Fox News]

However, several fans were left unimpressed with The Viper's quotes as they thought Cody was not the only one behind building AEW.

Tony Khan has signed several ex-WWE wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, Christian Cage, Sting, Adam Copeland, and Ric Flair. It remains to be seen which other stars will jump ship to the company.

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Industry veteran thinks WWE will not allow AEW to use Sting footage for his last match

Sting is up for his retirement match at AEW: Revolution. However, some aspects are unanswered, like whether WWE will allow Tony Khan to use footage of Sting from his time in other wrestling promotions, which is WWE's property.

Dave Meltzer speculated on the matter and stated that WWE may not allow AEW to use their footage for Sting's final match.

"WWE owns all footage. I thought, like, it's not gonna happen. But you know, people [are] going like, 'Well, when WWE asked Bryan Danielson, Mark Henry, and Paul Wight, Chris Jericho could do stuff for the John Cena special show that they did, and Tony let them do it. And when Billy Gunn was asked to come to the Hall of Fame for the DX thing, Tony let him do it. So, maybe they will reciprocate.' I don't think so," said Meltzer.

It remains to be seen how Sting's farewell will pan out and whether WWE will let The Icon bow out in the manner he wants.

Will WWE and AEW ever come together? Tell us in the comments section below.