Randy Orton names one thing missing from some WWE matches (Exclusive)

Randy Orton believes many WWE stars should focus more on in-ring psychology during their matches.

Orton is widely viewed as one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation. The 14-time World Champion often moves around the ring at a methodical pace, waiting for his opponents to make errors he can take advantage of.

Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter spoke to Orton at the recent Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling (SICW) event. The Viper explained that his father, wrestling legend Bob Orton Jr., taught him how to sell offense from his opponents. He also mentioned how some wrestlers fail to continue telling stories during their in-ring contests:

"I always think about when I'm in a match, something that happens to me early on, if it's something to my arm, my leg, I'll continue to sell that body part throughout the match," Orton said. "Most guys, if they get dropkicked in the knee and get their legs taken out from under them, a minute later they're running around, reversing people off an Irish whip, and no one would have known that they ever got their legs taken out from underneath them. I learned from my father that that's a story in and of itself." [5:26 – 5:53]

Orton's father recently received an induction into the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame at Herb Simmons' SICW show. Watch the video above to hear Bill Apter's conversation with Bob Orton Jr. and Randy Orton.

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Randy Orton on how WWE matches are put together

Wrestlers usually speak to each other and a producer backstage to discuss ideas for their match. While some WWE bouts feature carefully planned spots, others begin with wrestlers hardly knowing anything about what will happen next.

Randy Orton added that he prefers to make decisions based on how the audience reacts to certain moments in matches:

"That's what we do. We're storytellers, right? And we can tell a story within a story a lot of times, not because you came up with it the night before or before the match, or while you were talking about spots, but it happens organically in the middle of that ring, and you can't call that in the back. You have to listen to the crowd and gauge how they're feeling, what they wanna see, what they might not wanna see, tease them, and know how to sell accordingly, and I learned that from my old man." [5:53 – 6:23]

In the same interview, Orton gave an insight into how he came up with his legendary RKO finishing move.

What would you like to see next in Randy Orton's WWE career? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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Thanks to SICW promoter Herb Simmons for his assistance in making this interview happen. Follow SICW at SICW.ORG.

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