Support truly
independent journalism
Randy Orton has responded to Gunther’s suggestion that he underachieved in WWE, igniting a war of words ahead of their World Heavyweight Championship match at Bash in Berlin.
The two stars go head-to-head in the main event of WWE’s first pay-per-view event to be held in Germany, on Saturday 31 August.
It will also be Orton’s first singles match for a title belt in almost four years.
The 14-time world Champion, who has spent more than two decades with the company, returned from a career-threatening injury less than 12 months ago and has battled his way back to the top of the card.
But ahead of the bout, Gunther stoked the flames by suggesting his challenger had “wasted his potential”.
“I think Randy’s career is undeniable. On the other hand, we have to be honest here. He was destined to be the greatest of all time,” Gunther told the Miami Herald.
“All the bad decisions he made in his career and the issues he had, he still is one of the greatest, but he wasted a lot of potential.”
Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Orton responded to those claims, admitting that there is an element of truth in his rival’s words.
“He’s not exactly lying. Early on in my career I strayed off course. I was definitely excited to finish the show and find out where all the guys were going to get together and go,” Orton said.
“I was partying, late nights, hanging with the wrong guys and definitely wasn’t 100 per cent focused for a couple of years in my mid-20s.
“Gunther is 36, I’ve got eight years on him. But s***, when I was 36, I was a multiple world champion, had won a Royal Rumble. Gunther has just done his second SummerSlam. I’ve done 20.”
Orton, who recently wrestled his 2,400th match in WWE, believes that his incredible longevity in the industry has helped him make up for any early missed opportunities.
“There are guys still doing this that are older than me - or my age - but I’ve been doing it for a long time, I’ve got all these accolades, all these accomplishments.
“Even though Gunther is correct and in my youth I went through a spell where I was an a**hole, I made some bad choices and missed a few opportunities here and there... I think I’ve made up for it.
“I didn’t go to college, I didn’t play sports, I went straight into WWE at 19-years-old. I’ll take the way I went about things over anybody else’s way. No regrets.”
Orton, who became the youngest world champion in history when he won the prize aged 24, insists he’s still got plenty more in the tank, and is capable of beating Austrian star Gunther to win his 15th world title in Germany.
“I’m going to whoop Gunther’s a** pretty close to his own country and take that title,” he concluded.
SmackDown comes to the Uber Arena in Berlin on Friday August 30th followed by WWE Bash in Berlin on Saturday August 31st. Final tickets at www.ticketmaster.de.
