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Randy Orton names three young performers who have next in WWE

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matty Breisch | Last updated 5/11/24

Randy Orton has been a busy, busy man since returning to WWE last November.

He’s challenged for championship belts twice, wrestled at five-straight Premium Live Events, re-started his feud with The Bloodline from pretty much the moment he was handed a microphone on his first night back on SmackDown, boldly announcing to the world that “Daddy’s home” as the crowd went wild.

And yet, despite being a very busy man, Orton still has time to scout the next generation of Superstars and named off three young guns he would bet on in WWE in a special interview with Adam’s Apple.

“I’m a fan of Bron Breakker. I’ve been a fan of Austin Theory. I think [Grayson] Waller is great. There’s a lot of guys in NXT that I’m not necessarily aware of, but when I was down there, getting ready to get back on the road last fall, I saw a lot of great talent down there, guys and girls. As far as the one particular person, that’s a tough question,” Randy Orton told Adam’s Apple via WrestleZone.

“My eyes are on Austin Theory, and I think not only from a talent standpoint but he’s also got a great look. He’s gotten better and better on the mic. The more opportunities he has, I think the more he’ll thrive. But I’ve talked to the guy and he’s on the level. When I was his age, I nothing like that. He is way more mature than I was. I think that he’s got the world by the balls, man. He’s making the right decisions. He’s taking care of himself; he knows what his priorities should be. And there with being the best that you can be with WWE.”

While suggesting that Theory and Waller have next is a tad dated, as the former has been in the main roster for years and the latter is already a few years into his 30s, Breakker is a perfect pick for WWE’s next breakout star, as he has the look, he has the history, and he has the athletic ability to be a problem as either a babyface or a heel for years to come on RAW and SmackDown.

Randy Orton isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Elsewhere in his appearance on Adam’s Apple, Randy Orton was asked about the end of his professional wrestling career, which seemed like it was imminent just a few short years ago when he was out of action for almost two years due to back issues.

While Orton was close to hanging things when he could barely move around without feeling pain, now, he might go for the rest of the decade as he approaches 30 years with the promotion.

“Well if you would’ve asked me two years ago (how much longer I have left in wrestling), I would have thought it would’ve been close to the end. But I had a spinal fusion a year-and-a-half ago and that changed the game. I’d been in pain through my entire 30s. I was hurting. I was begging for time off when I was 35 and I think Vince’s — his quote to me was, ‘Mother nature gets us all,’ and you know, that’s hard to hear when you’re 35 and your back hurts and you’re busting your ass for this company. There’s been some changes, and now, I think instead of pushing guys and running their d**ks into the ground until they fall apart and they can’t do it anymore, there’s — it’s a great atmosphere to go, okay, how can we make this guy last? And the beauty of it is-is I’m not even there yet,” Randy Orton explained to Adam’s Apple via Inside the Ropes.

“I feel so great after my surgery. I’m a full-time guy. I don’t wanna do the old Undertaker or Shawn Michaels schedule which they needed to do, understandably, but wrestle at WrestleMania, take the summer off, maybe you’ll see ’em at SummerSlam, yada, yada, yada. I wanna be on the road every week. I wanna make all the TVs and be on all the PLEs and at 44, just turned 44, I would love to be able to go into my 50s. Maybe I wrestle until I’m 50 and call it and that’s 30 years. 30 years with the same company, on top. I wrestled more pay-per-views, PLE’s, whatever you wanna call it than anyone else in the history of the WWE. I’ve been around a long time but not only that, I’ve been here the whole time and I’ve been busting my ass whether I’m injured or not. Been showing up and it just feels like now is the perfect environment for me to thrive and if I do need to take a week off because I am getting up there, I get it. There’s no question.

“There’s been twice since I’ve been back in November where I was like, ‘Hey Hunter, can I take a week to just recover? So I could be 100 percent for the following week.’ He said, ‘Oh sure, yeah. As long as you communicate that to me, no problem.’ So, having that in my back pocket, it’s a real peace of mind knowing that if I need — because I am 44 (he laughed) — if I need a week, they’ll give it to me.”

Would fans like to see six more years of Orton? It’s safe to say that the answer is a near-universal yes.