WWE Rumors: Randy Orton Reportedly Wants To Work With Two ‘NXT’ Superstars
According to WrestleTalk, WWE superstar Randy Orton has reportedly expressed his desire to work with Adam Cole and Tomasso Ciampa in the very near future. The report also stated that he hopes to work with a performer from the black-and-gold brand in the coming months.
Cole is currently the NXT Champion and is arguably the biggest star on the brand, and he’s being tipped for big things in WWE. A match against Orton could be a useful way to elevate the rising star ahead of his inevitable move to the main roster.
The report also stated that Orton has requested to work with Ciampa, who he’s been bickering with on social media in recent weeks. Following NXT‘s Takeover: In Your House pay-per-view, Orton criticized the brand’s overtly physical in-ring style. As The Inquisitr noted, Ciampa responded by calling Orton’s style boring.
However, Orton revealed that he never meant to insult the NXT stars. As documented by Wrestling Inc, he wants to teach the black-and-gold brand roster how to focus on storytelling in their matches. According to Orton, he fears that they’ll shorten their careers if they continue putting their bodies more at risk than they need to.
“When it comes down to it, this is a business, we all need to make money. You can’t destroy your body and make no money doing it and then you end up working at McDonalds because you never went to college and you destroyed your neck in the ring. There has to be a purpose and that purpose is getting paid.”
Ciampa has previously rejected a full-time move to Monday Night Raw or Friday Night SmackDown as he doesn’t want to work the demanding schedule. However, the WrestleTalk report claimed that he’s open to working a one-off program with Orton on Monday Night Raw, especially now that all of WWE’s weekly shows are being filmed at the Performance Center.
The report also stated that the 13-time World Champion wants to work with other NXT performers, but it doesn’t state which other superstars he has in mind. Judging by Orton’s own words, he seems keen to impart his knowledge on any wrestler who’s willing to learn from him.
It remains to be seen if Orton will be used on NXT given that he’s an integral member of the red brand roster. NXT is currently competing against AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights, however, so perhaps the company will use his star power to bring more eyes to the weekly show.
