WWE legend made a promise to Vince McMahon after incident involving Randy Orton: "Will never happen again" (Exclusive)

He's been around for years, but Randy Orton still seems better than ever after an already illustrious career. Teddy Long recently recalled an incident involving The Viper, for which Vince McMahon later scolded him.

While fans might know him as a General Manager, Teddy Long had various other roles in the WWE, where he spent many years and earned a much-deserved Hall of Fame induction.

During a recent Wrestling Time Machine episode, Teddy Long revealed a story from a dark match featuring Randy Orton.

WWE was in The Legend Killer's hometown, and Long decided to give the superstar a drawn-out introduction. Long's intentions were positive, but Vince McMahon didn't like the announcer's impromptu decision.

The former SmackDown GM returned backstage to a furious Vince McMahon, who proceeded to blast the WWE legend. Long shared what happened, as you can view below:

"After I said all that, I come back to Gorilla, and I ain't even thinking there was going to be a problem. Vince was standing up, and he was waiting on me. He told me like that (gestured towards him). (...) Now, I'm thinking, 'What did I do?' He tells me, 'You in business for yourself out there?' I said 'No.' Then he looked at me and said, 'Well, he is from St. Louis, this is his town. God da*n it. They know he is The Legend Killer.'" [From 4:03 onwards]

Teddy Long did not want to anger the boss, but he quickly realized his mistake and apologized to Vince McMahon.

Long even promised Mr. McMahon that he would never disappoint him again, which the Hall of Famer believes he did until his active career in the WWE ended.

"It hit me then what he was saying; I said, 'Sir, let me say one thing. I was playing out there. You are exactly right. I promise you this will never happen again. And he looks at me and says, 'God da*n it! You are better than that.' We walked away, and he never called me again." [4:52 - 5:20]

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Teddy Long explains his idea behind a "big introduction" for Randy Orton

According to Vince McMahon, the fans in St. Louis would have known about their hometown hero.

Teddy Long thought differently and, heading into the untelevised match, had planned on going the extra mile while introducing Orton.

Long noted that contrary to McMahon's views, he believed Randy Orton needed a more special pre-match address in front of his people.

"We were in St. Louis, Missouri, in Randy's hometown. So I think this is a dark match, with no TV, so I can relax a little bit. Now, this is my thinking. I go out, I introduce Randy, and I say he is The Legend Killer; he's The Viper, your hometown boy, Randy Orton. My thinking is that he is in his hometown, and I want to give him this big introduction." [From 3:38 - 4:02]

Vince McMahon is no longer in the WWE in any capacity, but Randy Orton remains a top name and a veteran with a few more years left in the gas tank.

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Please give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.