Randy Orton gives valid reason to back up his claim about another 10 years in WWE

At Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, Randy Orton received a warm reception from the WWE Universe when he returned to in-ring action. As he walked out of the arena post-show, he hinted at competing inside the squared circle for another 10 years. The Viper has now commented on his claim.

Many of Orton's contemporaries have either retired or are self-admittedly in the twilight of their careers. However, the multi-time WWE Champion is still at the top of his game, eyeing another potential championship victory.

In a recent chat with Sports Illustrated, Orton praised Nick Khan and Triple H for taking care of WWE talents. He mentioned that if he needed time to recuperate from an injury, his current schedule had leeway for that. The veteran added that the change in schedule and WWE's policies would allow him to compete inside the squared circle for a long time:

"If something is bugging me and I don’t want to put my body through the physical toll of a match, I can still make the TV, cut a promo, and hit an RKO or two. That is going to enable me to do this for a long time. I’m very happy with the changes, and I’m very happy that Nick Khan, Triple H, Bruce [Prichard], and all those guys are proving they mean what they say. The company changed, and they care about the talent. I think everybody feels the same way," said Orton.

Since Orton's comeback in November 2023, he has competed in several matches. He challenged for Roman Reigns' Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Royal Rumble last month. On Saturday night, The Viper will battle five top superstars inside the Elimination Chamber to become the new number one contender for Seth Rollins' World Heavyweight Championship.

---

Randy Orton on hitting JD McDonagh with a mid-air RKO at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames

Since the Thanksgiving event, Randy Orton has reiterated that he was nervous about returning to the ring owing to the prolonged time he spent on the sidelines due to his back injury.

At the event, though, it was the RKO he hit on JD McDonagh that brought back the confidence in him. Speaking to Kayla Braxton on WWE's The Bump, The Apex Predator detailed the moment when he was standing in the ring while Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn pushed The Judgment Day star from the top of the cage:

"I was like, 'Oh sh*t. Am I standing where I need to' (...) Like, I started second guessing myself, and, but here he [JD McDonagh] comes, and (...) How am I not going to grab a hold of that big ol' head?" Orton said. "All I need to do is just (...) I can close my eyes and do it. He can put his head right there. I felt it, boom! Like, it was that quick, and that helped boost my confidence."

When asked if he was looking to break WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and John Cena's current record for the most number of world title wins, Randy Orton revealed that it did not keep him up at night. The former World Champion also said he knew it was in the cards.