Randy Orton has been making rounds on the internet due to his rumored return after 10 months. The Viper is certainly one of the biggest stars in WWE to this day. Although Orton is a highly respected talent in wrestling, he once engaged in a battle of egos with a WWE legend. Former talent Road Dogg returned to WWE as an in-ring competitor with Billy Gunn in 2011. At the time, Dogg and Gunn did a few tag team matches, teaming up with the Viper.
However, Dogg and Orton did not see eye-to-eye due to their real-life issues with each other. During that time, Orton had established himself as a top star in the promotion.
Whereas, Road Dogg was an old-school talent. The disparity in their age and mindset led them to butt heads more often. The WWE Hall of Famer recalled his conflict with the Apex Predator on his podcast.
Road Dogg recalls his real-life conflict with Randy Orton
Speaking on the “Oh… You Didn’t Know” podcast, the now-Senior Vice President of Live Events, Road Dogg, looked back on his strife with Randy Orton. During Road Dogg’s second stint with WWE, he and Billy Gunn were paired with Randy Orton for tag team action during the WrestleMania Revenge Tour in 2013.
This meant that the wrestlers traveled together. But, Randy Orton’s tardiness did not sit well with Road Dogg.
“Randy is the last one on the bus and Randy is Randy, you know what I mean? I was young in sobriety, and I was older in my wrestling. I was like, ‘Why are we waiting on him? If me and Billy are here, so should he.’ So, that’s my ego and my pride talking, and he has the same thing.”
Road Dogg mistook Randy’s laid-back attitude for entitlement. The friction between the two even affected the execution of their matches.
Nevertheless, Dogg swallowed his pride and admitted that it was he who was being “egotistical”.
Despite Randy’s success in WWE, Road Dogg is still a senior in the business. While Dogg expected to be respected by Orton, he realized that respect goes both ways.
Road Dogg added-
“It was me being egotistical and thinking he should bow down. Oh, we’re the old-timers, you’ve got to bend a little bit.”
Randy Orton is expected to make his return during the WrestleMania weekend
The multi-time World Champion has been out of commission due to his lower back injury. After almost a year-long sabbatical, Orton is rumored to make his return to WWE at WrestleMania 39.
PWInsider reported that WWE is planning to schedule his return at the Grandest Stage rather than the Raw after Mania. In addition, Orton is rumored to make his return as a heel. Orton has been a babyface for far too long. It will be interesting to see who falls prey to the Viper upon his comeback.
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