Former WWE Superstar comments on Randy Orton's return, recalls almost getting into a backstage fight with him

Only a few hours remain for Randy Orton to resurface on WWE TV after keeping a very low profile for over a year. Ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames, Gene Snitsky spoke about The Viper.

Between 2003 and 2008, Snitsky was associated with the Stamford-based promotion. The 53-year-old star faced Orton on an episode of RAW in 2006, where The Viper apparently didn't like a spot during the bout, which almost led to a backstage fight.

Speaking on the Rewide Recap Relive podcast, the former WWE Superstar opened up about his match against the Legend Killer. Snitsky claimed that Orton allegedly did not like how he got hit during the bout, which they almost butted heads backstage:

"When I ran down, I guess he [Randy Orton] didn't like how I hit him, and he said something under his breath, so we almost got in a fight backstage," Snitsky recounted. "It's how it is. But ever since then we've been great friends. Sometimes, you know, you just got to get in a fight and move on." [From 1:06:02 to 1:06:20]

When asked about Randy Orton's comeback after a lengthy hiatus, Snitsky was all praise. He even ranked The Viper as one of the top five superstars of all time:

"I think it's great," he began. "He's probably one of the top five performers in the history of the business [...] He's awesome. I used to hang out with him all the time, like, after we got into our little fight. I'm glad to see him coming back, man. That's just a tribute to him and his longevity." [From 1:06:20 to 1:07:10]

Kurt Angle recently spoke extensively about the severity of Randy Orton's back injury that kept him out of action since May 20, 2022.

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Drew McIntyre hopes to reignite rivalry with Randy Orton on WWE TV

When Drew McIntyre flew to India in September, Sportskeeda conducted an exclusive interview with him. When asked about his feud with Randy Orton, McIntyre revealed he wants to run it back.

The two faced each other at three consecutive premium live events in 2020, which included a Hell in a Cell match that saw Orton secure his 14th WWE World Championship.

"Oh, yeah, if it makes sense, 100%. If Randy Orton returns, it's gonna be such a huge moment. He's been out for such a long time. There's been a lot of chatter about what's going on with him and his significant injury that could be career-ending. So for Randy Orton to return, it would be such a moment for WWE, wrestling as a whole, and I get the opportunity to get inside there with him once again and reignite our feud of the past. That would be really special for me," said Drew McIntyre.

Orton will join his former protégé tonight, Cody Rhodes, his longtime rival and current World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and one of the superstars who kayfabe got him sidelined in the first place, Jey Uso.

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