“The Apex Predator” is among the GOATs of pro wrestling history, and a clear-cut first ballot Hall of Fame legend for WWE.
That’s what Matt Hardy thinks.
The AEW star offered high praise for Randy Orton during the latest episode of his official podcast, “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy,” explaining why he feels Orton clearly deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame and how he will go down as one of the GOATs in the business.
On why he feels Orton deserves a spot in the WWE Hall Of Fame: “He’s drawn money, he’s sold tickets. As a heel, he was very, very good, probably excels and probably is where he excels the most and at his best. People will pay because they dislike him, they want to see someone else beat him. Also, he’s is someone that connects with people. He evokes emotion, and he connects with fans that are sitting in those seats. People go, ‘Oh my god, Randy Orton has had so many memorable moments.’ They might not remember his top ten five-star matches, but they’re definitely gonna remember a shit-load of Randy Orton moments, which there has been a bunch.”
On how he feels Orton will go down as one of the GOATs in the business: “He without a doubt will go down as one of the greatest of all time. He’s had a bunch [of world title reigns], so he’s a legit guy. He’s a legitimate Hall of Famer, without a doubt. As they say, a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer. In the whole lore of pro wrestling, he’s a Hall of Famer, no matter what era you’re talking about. He’s a guy who’s just special, who has sold tickets, who has had people care about him, who has evoked emotion. He is a guy that people give a shit about. He’s been very consistent. He might not have the five-star match, he might not have the banger, whatever, but he goes out and he produces. He has these great matches, he tells these great stories over and over again. At the end of the day, after you watch a Randy Orton match, you remember how you felt during that match, especially if if there was some hot story connected to it.”
Check out the complete episode of “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast where he talks more about this via the YouTube player embedded below, or at Spotify.com. H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.
