WWE Hall of Famer lauds Randy Orton for being "versatile"
Former WWE Superstar Mark Henry heaped praise on Randy Orton, calling the Apex Predator the most versatile wrestler he has ever worked with.
The third-generation star is one of the greatest wrestlers to have stepped inside the squared circle and has captured multiple world championships over the years. Orton's ability to reinvent himself is one of the key reasons for his longevity in the business.
Reflecting on The Viper's career on the latest Busted Open podcast, Mark Henry stated that if he had to use one word to describe Orton, it would be "versatile."
"I would have to say versatile. To me, out of all the guys that I've wrestled, Randy is the most versatile. He can wrestle Big Show or Rey Mysterio and everything in between equally as good and nobody else that I've wrestled was able to do that. There have been some smaller guys that could wrestle the in-between guys and the smaller guys better than they wrestle the big guys and there are some people that just wrestle the big guys and when they have to work somebody small, they can't work down," said Randy. (From 52:32 to 53:27)
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He Made His Debut 20 Year's Ago, He Is The Legend Killer, Apex Predator, He Is RANDY ORTON.
The Only full Time Performer From The Ruthless Aggression Era,Today.
Truly a LEGEND. #OrtonWeek https://t.co/JYmxclDTSi
Mark Henry loved 'The Legend Killer' persona of Randy Orton in WWE
Randy Orton has been a part of WWE for twenty years, during which he has gone through multiple iterations of his on-screen gimmick.
The third-generation superstar made his debut as a face on SmackDown, beating Hardcore Holly in his first match. Young Orton soon joined Evolution, which eventually led to his Legend Killer persona. He put on excellent matches with legends such as Mick Foley and Hulk Hogan during that time.
Speaking about Orton's run as the Legend Killer on the same podcast, Mark Henry detailed that it was painful to watch Randy Orton take out his favorite legends one by one.
"I think the Legend Killer" [His favorite iteration of Orton], said Mark. "When he was taking out all of the heroes of mine like Jerry Lawler, Ric Flair or any older established pro wrestler. Bro, I just hated it, man, to see him be so verbally disrespectful to people like Hillbilly Jim and Hacksaw Jim Duggan or Pat Patterson. Like, 'get out of this ring before I knock you on your a**. You used to be somebody, now look at you, you're old, washed-up." (From 47:08 to 48:07]
Here's to The Viper, The Legend Killer, WWE's Apex Predator, @RandyOrton!
Join us in celebrating #RandyOrton all week long in honor of the 20th anniversary of his #WWE debut (25th April), using #OrtonWeek. 🐍 https://t.co/ZQSjV6Fo3r
Randy Orton will celebrate completing 20 years as a WWE Superstar on the upcoming edition of Monday Night RAW. It will be interesting to see how the celebrations play out on the Red brand.
If you use any quotes from the article, please credit the Busted Open podcast with H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for transcription.