Randy Orton has won 12 world titles in his WWE career and is preparing to try to win his 13th world title at WrestleMania 33 . Interestingly, even though very few people have won more world titles in the WWE than Orton, Triple H said on the Cheap Heat podcast on ESPN that he feels that Randy could get even better .
Triple H said that there is one thing that has kept Randy Orton from being one of the best, and that is the fact that he is a “self-destructor.”
“I’ve told Randy this since the day I met him, like, he had every tool to succeed. The only guy that was going to stop Randy was Randy because he can be a little bit of a self-destructor, but he has everything it takes, man.”
Randy Orton broke into the WWE at the exact same time as John Cena and Brock Lesnar . While Lesnar was an immediate superstar and John Cena had to prove himself through gimmicks, Randy Orton was placed in a stable with Triple H in Evolution and was pushed hard from the start.
However, that caused some growing pains. Randy Orton was one of the youngest superstars to ever win a WWE world title and might not have been completely ready for the push. Immaturity issues crept up, and Orton rubbed a number of people the wrong way.
Despite the WWE pushing Randy Orton as a face once Triple H and Evolution turned on him, the fans never bought into Randy as a good guy, and his original big face push failed spectacularly. That led to Orton having more personal problems and getting into more trouble behind-the-scenes in the WWE.
However, the one thing that no one could deny was how good Randy Orton was in the ring. He was crisp and smooth, and it was clear that he was even better than his father, the legendary Cowboy Bob Orton. Triple H mentioned that Randy watching his father was probably what helped him reach success at such an early age.
“He has everything it takes, man. And I don’t know if it’s because he’s just gifted or because he watched his dad, who was great, for so long, or I don’t know what it is. But, man, he just has it all.”
That promise kept getting derailed, though. There were numerous instances of backstage drama that caused some of Orton’s pure in-ring talent to get overshadowed. There were injuries that stalled his career, including a shoulder that has given Randy Orton trouble through his entire career.
There was also the suspensions where Randy Orton failed the WWE wellness drug test, and he was actually one more suspension away from termination at one point in his career. It seemed for a time that Orton was intent to self-destruct and watch his entire WWE career explode before him.
However, Triple H said that he still sees a lot of promise in Randy Orton. Just this year, John Cena tied “Nature Boy” Ric Flair for the most world titles won in a career with his 16th title win. Triple H enjoyed 14 world title reigns. If Randy Orton beat Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33, he will be one back of Triple H and only two back of John Cena and Ric Flair.
“He could be even better. Yeah, I believe [he could attain another level of success]. I just think he’s that good. I don’t know if that’s me believing in him more than he believes in him. I don’t know what that is, but don’t get me wrong. He’s great. I just wonder how great he could be.”
WrestleMania 33 takes place this Sunday in Orlando, Florida. Fans can watch it on the WWE Network as Randy Orton battles Bray Wyatt for the WWE world title.
[Featured Image by WWE]