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Randy Orton has developed a reputation as someone who can be intimidating behind the scenes in WWE. According to Kevin Owens, The Viper prefers wrestlers who treat him like just another roster member.
Orton has featured prominently on WWE television since making his main roster debut in 2002. The 14-time world champion is widely viewed as one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation.
Owens has formed an alliance with Orton on SmackDown in recent weeks. In a conversation with WWE personality Kayla Braxton ahead of Backlash France, the former Universal Champion explained why the veteran immediately liked him.
"It's really fun because Randy's a very intimidating guy," Owens said. "When you first get to WWE, you want him to like you just because he's Randy Orton. You know what I mean? So when I first started here, I wasn't intimidated by him because I figured he doesn't want people to be intimidated by him, and I think that's why he took a liking to me." [4:27 – 4:43]
In 2014, Owens joined WWE and became part of the NXT brand. The Prizefighter quickly moved to the main roster, where he feuded with John Cena and Randy Orton.
Kevin Owens reflects on his first match with Randy Orton
On July 27, 2015, Randy Orton defeated Kevin Owens via disqualification on RAW. The two men had previously crossed paths in multi-person matches but never in one-on-one competition.
Owens recalled how Orton appreciated that he did not treat him like someone special during the bout:
"I remember our first match, I was the same with him as I was with anybody else in the ring, and he commented on that later on saying, 'The first time we wrestled, you didn't treat me like anyone else.' Yeah, Randy's great, and I feel very lucky to have been with him." [4:43 – 4:55]
Orton and Owens' most notable match against each other came at WrestleMania XL in a triple threat with Logan Paul. The 17-minute contest ended with Paul pinning Owens after a Frog Splash from the top rope.
What would you like to see next from Orton and Owens? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit WWE and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
