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WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently spoke about what Randy Orton was like backstage during the early years of his legendary career.
The Viper is one of the greatest to step inside the squared circle. Right from the beginning of his career, Orton was groomed to become a headliner. While many may argue he was born with a silver spoon as he comes from an illustrious wrestling family, it can't take away the fact that he's a gifted talent.
Be it promos, character work, or in-ring ability, Randy Orton aced every aspect of the business. Apart from fans singing his praises, several of his peers have also come forward to say there aren't many who can come close to The Viper's level.
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Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast hosted by Mac Davis, Teddy Long opened up about what Orton was like backstage. The former SmackDown General Manager recalled that Randy Orton bluntly shared his opinions.
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Long added that the 43-year-old was a little hot-headed and didn't hesitate to turn down ideas if he wasn't comfortable executing them on TV.
"Randy was just a guy who didn't put up with any s***. You could say something to him, if it was right, he'd agree. If it was not right, he'd let you know. That's how Randy was. He was a little hot-headed. Sometimes they had things they wanted him to do that he didn't feel comfortable with, then he'll them he ain't doing it," said Teddy Long. (8:06 - 8:30)
Check out the full video below:
Teddy Long says he always admired Randy Orton
Furthermore, the WWE Hall of Famer mentioned that he encountered many performers with a similar no-nonsense mindset.
However, Teddy Long added that only a few knew where to "draw the line" the way Randy Orton did.
"Not just him, I have seen many guys come through and do that. Some guys get success with it, some guys don't. But Randy understood, he knew where to draw the line. He knew how far to go. So Randy was smart and I really admired him a lot, man," added Teddy Long. (8:30 - 8:50)
The Viper last wrestled for WWE on the May 20th, 2022, episode of SmackDown, where he and Matt Riddle lost their RAW Tag Team Championships to The Usos.
Do you see Orton returning to WWE anytime soon for a final hurrah? Sound off in the comments section below?
If you take any quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.
