Piledriver #13 - Randy Orton and Riddle speak to Piledriver
Hello and welcome to Piledriver Wrestling Newsletter.
Last Friday, WWE headed to London for a stacked live show headlined by an epic bout between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. Hopefully you enjoyed our review by Scott Felstead in last week's edition of Piledriver, which captured all the drama from the O2 Arena.
However, Scott wasn't the only Piledriver writer in attendance - earlier that day Danny Stone headed down to a media event where he and other journalists put questions to stars including the Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro - the legendary Randy Orton and rising star Riddle.
At the age of 42, Randal has just reached his 20-year milestone with WWE. It's often said that the Knoxville, Tennessee native seems to be having more fun than ever at this stage of his career. It's certainly clear that he's matured and calmed down a bit. From entitled wildchild third-generation star to respected veteran of the locker room, the 14-time world champion has seen and done it all, good and bad.
In that respect it's interesting that he's been partnered with Riddle, who despite being 36, seemingly has a lot still to learn, both in and out of the ring. Controversy has followed Riddle from the UFC to WWE, overshadowing his undoubted talent between the ropes.
Both men gave some fascinating answers when discussing their tag team and Orton in particular pulled no punches when talking about his views on NXT talents graduating to the main roster and the nature of his relationship with Vince McMahon. The duo even had time to chat about the rumours of Tyson Fury heading back to WWE and the possibility of a mega clash between the boxing world champion and Drew McIntyre.
The interview is a long one - so let's get straight down to it.
Take care
Neil
RK-Bro talk to Piledriver
You've have no off-season [in WWE]. You go all year-round. Randy, what advice would you give to Riddle to have the longevity that you've had?
Randy: "Oh, that's easy. You know, kind of looking at the things he's doing in the ring. There's some high-risk stuff, like, for instance, take our London show, he doesn't need to risk his neck by doing double, triple corkscrew something off the top rope to the floor. Because even though that would get a huge reaction in the moment, 10 seconds later, everybody would have forgotten about it, and we’ve moved on to the next match or the finish.
"It's important what we're doing and because I'm 110%. Some of these guys, they're going so high risk, you can't risk your career 200 nights a year, you know what I mean? So it's like, percentages, risks, you got to look at all that and assess, like, what makes the most sense for you to be able to do this every single night. A 'floating bro' off the top rope onto the floor, onto a group of guys like, you're going to be cooked but there's that, you know, that high risk factor.
"So maybe taking things like that out - saving them for a WrestleMania or something like that. That'd be right off the top of my head, the first thing. He's already been doing that, and you wouldn't even notice because he's one of the hardest working guys in the ring. So even when I'm on the apron watching him, you know, he's a goofball but he's also one of the most intelligent guys I've ever met either.
"So, it's like he's got a little bit of everything. And when it comes to the stuff he does in the ring, he doesn't hold back. So, I guess that would be the main thing with him, personally, is to hold back because he's already always going so hard balls to the wall the entire time. Yeah, that's excellent."
What have you learned from Randy, Riddle?
Riddle: "What haven’t I learned? Well, you know, I feel like I've learned a lot about the business side of things and handling myself, not just in the world of wrestling, but in the world of WWE. I feel like each promotion each company I’ve worked for has a different landscape. From the UFC to WWE to the independent scene, everywhere. And I feel like he's really helped me guide through the waters as smoothly as possible, at least for me, because I kind of ruffle feathers all the time.
"He's been helping me out a lot with that and, of course, in-ring ability and just watching Randy every night do what Randy does best. You’re going to get better, and your timing is going to get better, your confidence is going to go up, your confidence or your swagger goes up on the microphone, everything goes up.
"And from day one to now, for me, at least for me, my point of view is night and day. The transition and changes I've made and, and I wouldn't say maybe from the outside looking in, it's harder to see. But from being on the inside looking out. It's night and day, like I said, and my job has gotten drastically easier and more fun to work in with this man."
Randy, some might say you’re taking on a coaching role with Riddle. as well as being his partner. Would something at the [WWE] Performance Center, helping train younger talent alongside your wrestling, be of interest to you?
Randy: "I don't think I'd be a good coach because I would start to just ramble, and my wife tells me all the time once I get going and I just kind of go. Ask me a question and, you know, I might get back to it. But I just start to ramble like I am now. Coaching, it's almost like I don't know how to articulate to say a group of green [amateur] guys coming into the business that need to learn the basics right. Like, if there was three, four or five guys, a small group and if we could go talk, sit in the ring. If it was like a close quarter, small group of people where we're not doing drills and stuff but just talking, maybe watching tape. I think I can be good in that aspect…
"…I've got so many, like, text messages with guys that have sent me links [to matches to watch], even from other companies, guys that I know real well. So, I've got a lot of stuff queued up and I need to go watch. But I enjoyed doing it. And it's funny because to me, like a light bulb went off, and from that moment on a lot of stuff in the ring was kind of just common sense.
"What's common sense to me isn't necessarily common sense for these other guys. So, I got to realise that some of these guys really just come into this business are thrown on live television, maybe the next two, three months, but they haven't learned, they haven't had enough time to learn.
"Like I've given NXT a lot of s*** over a few years because like, their guys aren't ready. That's not like a knock on the coaching or anything. It's just, it's a system. The system's flawed. It's flawed in the sense that you don't have a certain amount of time it takes for a guy to graduate. You've got a possibility that there’s some guy with an amazing look but is green and dangerous as hell.
"Someone up here in Stamford might see him and go 'I want him on TV in three weeks'. You can't give a guy 500 matches worth of experience in front of a live crowd in three weeks and teach him the art of professional wrestling if he didn't grow up as a fan and doesn't understand it, in three weeks.
"So now, you’ve got a guy on Raw, being told by a higher up, 'Hey, red light is on tonight, it's live TV. I know this is your first night, you got to make it look good. You’ve got to lay that stuff in'. So now, I don't know my opponent has only been doing it for three weeks, he's five times as tall as me and being told to beat the s*** out of me.
"So, then I go out there in the ring – 'whoa, whoa, whoa, what the f*** are they teaching?' Then I do an interview, and it's like, yeah. 'NXT? Whoo!' So, you see where I'm coming from? It's just, it's an experience. Time and grade. They just don't have it because of the amount of time that was going by for them to have that kind of experience."
RK-Bro speak to Piledriver
After WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes gave a Randy Orton story in an interview. Would you like to give us your own Cody story?
Randy: "Boy. I’ve got like one, but I don't think I want to tell it because he'll hear that I told it. He'll have more stories, and we'll just keep one upping each other and the next thing you know we'll both be fired. Cody's like, he was young, but I was still young. When he came up, and I was still kind of in a period of time where I needed a babysitter. So as much as he puts me over for taking him under my wing when he was brand new, he drove me around town to town, like he was a good, you know, like, Cody probably is responsible for getting me town to town safely for a good three years of my career.
"Like if it wasn't for him, I might not be here right now. He was my babysitter after the show. As far as stories, man, we had a lot of wild fun nights going out with the boys. That was like a lifetime ago. You know, we're both married now with kids. There's no reason to bring up all those old memories. Maybe when my kids are grown, his kids are grown. There could be a chapter on all the funny s*** Cody did."
Randy, you've been very honest about how you have matured over the last two decades. How has your relationship with Vince mirrored that as you've grown in WWE?
Randy: "Yeah, it's totally changed over the years. We had a weird, a different kind of relationship. Because early on, I was getting in trouble a lot. There were a lot of times I had to go to the principal's office. But for some reason, I'd always leave that office and go back to the locker room and I'd be on the show that night. Like he had no reason to keep me around and some of the s*** that I was pulling, some of it was just dumb immature kids s***, you know?
"And now that you know 20 years has gone by and I slowly got to know him, I think there's more man-to-man respect there. I'm a husband and a father, I've matured as well. He's seen me in dark periods where like I've had, like, meltdowns, breakdowns in front of him, where I like beat my head against the wall in front of him. 25-year-old man, just the emotional, you know, just not knowing how to express myself - and he's witnessed that and close quarters. I think he sees a little bit of my crazy and him. You know, even if it's just a little bit.
"From an early age when I was f***ed up like that, I think it almost made him want to, like nurture that part of me, you know. We've grown together in that regard. So like, now our conversations are a lot different. And if I knock on his door, peek my head in, you know, nine out of 10 times, no matter who's in there, he'll tell them to f*** off so that I can come in and talk to him, which is pretty cool, you know."
Riddle, you come from a mixed martial arts background which comes with a stereotype of people that really care about the image. You however come across as someone that has always enjoyed life, enjoyed yourself in wrestling, how important is it to be yourself?
Riddle: "Well, I always try to tell people, especially in this business, I'm a terrible actor, so I don't have a choice, I have to be myself. I feel like when I first started, a lot of people were telling me to 'be yourself to turn it up a little bit'. And I didn't know what it meant, you know, but things just click one day. I was literally, one day I was like 'be myself turned up?'. Instead of trying to be like this, or whatever. I was just like 'oh, just like, be me. A little more audible, a little more me, just a little more in your face'.
"And that's all it was, and I felt like, the more I can be me, the more I connect with each and every single one of you. Because I know there's a part of me, at least one part of me that relates to every single person. I don't know what it is yet. But eventually, I'll find out and I'll connect with you. And that's what I did throughout the indies, that's what I did throughout my career here. And that's what I'm going to continue to do. Because I know when I walked through that curtain, and I'm fist bumping and looking at kids, adults alike, I know, I'm looking him dead in the face, and I’m like 'I'm having the time of my life, aren't you?'.
"I know I bring that energy out of them. I know I'm bringing that energy. And I feel like that's what I've always been good at. I've been good at going to a party or going to a friend's house or go to school and looking people in the eyes and just connecting with them and making them feel kind of happy or joyful, or people just hate me! It goes like that. Randy when he first met me wasn't a huge fan."
Randy: "Nope…"
Riddle: "I mean, I don't mean to rub people the wrong way. And I know Randy, I can see how he was like, 'f*** this guy'. I got to understand and, you know that's just who I am. And like I said, it's I don't know how to be anybody else. I'm bad at pretending to be anybody else. I’m a bad liar. I'm bad at most things, other than being myself. I'm good. I've wrestled. I'm good at fighting and I'm good at being me."
Randy, how did you feel about being paired with Riddle?
Randy: "Well, it was like a year ago now, we had a singles match, and it went pretty well. I think you won?"
Riddle: "I'm 2 and 0 against you, Randy!"
Randy: "You are..."
Riddle: "I'm just saying! It’s not a big deal, we're tag-team champions, two time, it's not under discussion…"
Randy: "It's okay, you can beat me 10 times, I don't care. You'll beat me 10 more times, I'm sure. These things don't last forever, right?"
Riddle: "Whoa, whoa whoa! I'm talking to people I know have a pitch. Maybe this should last forever!"
Randy: "Yeah, well, without going too deep or giving away anything, a few months ago it was very likely that we weren't going to be a team anymore. For whatever the reason, however we got there, it doesn't matter right now, but we were going to dissolve this and it wasn't that hard to talk them into keeping it going. I feel like it's just it wouldn't be the kind of thing where if we split, how people would want to see you know, no matter who turned on whoever, whatever the situation may be, I don't think no matter how good potentially that could be, I think it's better now.
"Together, you know, let's write it out and see where else we can go. Each week, for the most part, not every week, but each week, we get a little closer, a little farther, we further that storyline, people are a little more, you know, engaged and all that."
WWE has a stadium show coming to Cardiff. How exciting is it to do a stadium show in another country? Are there other places you guys would like to do a stadium show?
Randy: "The more people the better. It's over here, which is badass. I think it's been 30 years. 30 to the year. It was 92, Wembley, Bulldog, right? Yeah. 30 years. So I hope I'm on that show. I hope we're there. And it's going to - are we setting records with attendance? 76,000 people, and then I heard something about when they opened up those tickets. They went really quick.
"So that, that's just a testament to the WWE and how much interest is out there. I feel like being able to come over here and have a stadium show especially after Covid and everything. I feel like all these shows just have a little bit extra something special to them. In Newcastle, it was the same. I feel like in September in Cardiff it's going to be no different. You get that many people together, you're going to have a good time."
What do you make of the prospect of Tyson Fury potentially coming into the WWE?
Randy: "Yeah, soon as that fight was over and he was doing the press conference and you know, he couldn't wait to say Drew McIntyre's name, I got on the phone right away to Drew, but he had already tweeted the reply to get that out there, you know! Drew’s great. He's a smart guy too. He sees an opportunity and knows that that would be huge for not only himself but the WWE.
"So what do I think? I've met Tyson, he was great. He's a fan. So, when these guys that are out of our industry come over and there are fans and there's that like, respect. Mutual respect. Like really, you can’t go wrong. Look at Logan Paul, look at Bad Bunny. Like who would have thought, right? He was the most humble dude. What's he worth, a billion dollars? That dude didn't need to spend his time, three months, putting a match together and risking his neck, you know, I'm sure his management team was like what are you doing? He's wanting to jump off the ropes…!
"There's nothing better than an outsider coming in and having a little heart, Tyson's just like that. So, I would assume that's going to go forward and that'll be probably some pretty big hitting s***. I'm thinking about it September, Cardiff, it kind of lines up…"
Tickets for WWE Clash at The Castle will go on sale Friday, May 20. To learn more about registering for an exclusive presale opportunity beginning Wednesday, May 18, visit here
www.wwe.com/cardiff-2022-presale.?utm_source=interests_newsletter&utm_campaign=wrestling_newsletter2&utm_medium=email&pure360.trackingid=07b5578d-a5dc-4301-889c-b0c2a6905d07
