"I was taken aback" - 4-time WWE champion says Randy Orton broke character to praise him

Randy Orton has established himself as one of the faces of WWE, as The Viper has been with the company for over two decades. Recently, former multi-time Tag Team Champion Chad Gable shed light on the compliments he received from The Apex Predator.

Chad Gable has steadily evolved as a character since he feuded with Gunther. Gable slowly turned towards the dark side while pursuing the Intercontinental Championship in his feud with Sami Zayn. The former two-time RAW Tag Team Champion berated his faction, Alpha Academy, countless times for failing to help him against Sami Zayn.

In an interview with Peter Rosenberg on the Cheap Heat Podcast, the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion revealed what Randy Orton told him about his recent performances. The 38-year-old WWE star explained how The Viper broke character to praise him backstage.

"One of the most highest compliments I've ever been paid, maybe the highest compliment happened a few weeks ago, and it came from Randy Orton. Whether or not he wants me to say this or not, I don't know. He found me back in the locker room after one of my matches and said, 'You made it, man. He's like, there's no more next Kurt Angle; that stuff's done. You're not next Kurt Angle; you're you. You've found it. You've found who you are, and you're showing everybody now.' And to me, I was taken aback to come from a guy like Randy [Orton], who's done it all and gets the highest praise from everybody. That meant the world to me," Gable said. (From 29:18 to 29:57)

Check out the video below:

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Chad Gable feuded with Randy Orton on WWE RAW in the past

Before Randy Orton returned to in-ring competition in 2023, The Viper was extensively used in the tag team division on Monday Night RAW alongside Matt Riddle as RK-Bro.

RK-Bro was one of the most entertaining acts on the Red brand under Vince McMahon's WWE regime. By the end of 2021, the duo feuded with Alpha Academy's Chad Gable and Otis for the titles.

This wasn't the first time that Gable and Orton collided on WWE's main roster. The two have had singles action and feuded as a tag team when American Alpha made their way to SmackDown against The Wyatt Family.

After losing the titles to Gable and Otis in January 2022, The Viper and The Original Bro eventually recaptured the titles before heading into the Showcase of Immortals in Texas.

If you use quotes from the article, please credit Cheap Heat and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.