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Randy Orton had a resurgence in 2020, and he is currently one of the most relevant stars on WWE RAW. Orton will become a future WWE Hall of Famer and be remembered for his performances in the ring, but his past controversies may also be brought up numerous times in the future.
This feature will take a look at popular myths surrounding Randy Orton that were busted by other WWE Superstars or Randy Orton himself.
The many controversies have resulted in some facts getting twisted in the public eye, and the general viewpoint ends up becoming biased in a few cases. With that being said, here are 5 myths about Randy Orton that were eventually debunked.
#5 Drew McIntyre busted the myth about Randy Orton being "soft in the ring"
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre talked about his feud with Randy Orton in 2020. McIntyre complimented The Viper and said that Orton went above and beyond to make The Scottish Psychopath look as good as possible.
“I still hear how Randy doesn’t want to get too physical or take too many bumps, so for anyone that thinks he’s soft in the ring, that’s just not true. He went above and beyond to make me look as good as possible. We both worked our butts off, and I’m very proud of that match, as well as the chance to once again be WWE Champion.”
McIntyre debunked the myth of Orton wanting to play it safe in the ring. The WWE Champion himself took a few major bumps in their feud, but Orton didn't compromise in terms of taking bumps against McIntyre.
Randy Orton indeed sticks to a particular move set, and his matches do play out in a rather predictable fashion. But when it matters the most, Orton has played his part in making other stars look good, just like with McIntyre, as stated in the aforementioned interview.
#4 Many WWE fans took Randy Orton's 'leg slap' comments seriously
Earlier this year, Randy Orton found himself in the middle of an online altercation when his tweets about 'leg slaps' rubbed NXT Superstar Tommaso Ciampa the wrong way.
Their online argument split the WWE Universe when it came to different wrestling styles in the pro wrestling industry.
In a recent interview with CBS Sports, Randy Orton clarified his intentions behind the 'leg slap' comments and said that he was only having fun with it.
"So, the leg slap comment was just me having fun and it got taken a little too seriously. I've been outspoken about the leg slap because I've seen more and more and more and more and more and more leg slaps. Same with repeating moves. Same with guys using the same move. It's superkick, superkick, superkick, superkick. Or they've got that running knee. Every time any of those things happen, you get a big slap to the leg. That has nothing to do with the state of Tommaso's physical wellbeing, but there's that style."
Although Orton said he was being casual with his tweets, The Viper did make it clear that doing high-risk moves and spots frequently isn't a great idea since these stars won't reap the benefits of the pro wrestling business in the long term.
This may explain why Randy Orton chooses a more methodical approach inside the ring. He has been one of the most consistent veterans on the WWE roster because of that particular approach.
But as far as the 'leg slap' controversy and his online 'feud' with Ciampa are concerned, The Viper was simply trolling to stir the conversation online.
#3 Randy Orton wasn't dishonorably discharged from the Marines
Randy Orton's time in the U.S. Marines didn't end on good terms. After joining the Marines, he went AWOL on two particular instances and disobeyed an order from a commanding officer.
Orton served 38 days in military prison and received his discharge papers shortly after. In 2012, Orton was replaced from the cast of The Marine 3 movie due to his controversial military record of service.
In 2014, there was a misconception regarding Orton's background in the Marines. A fan stated to Orton on Twitter that he was a dishonorably discharged Marine.
@RandyOrton DisHonorably Discharged Marine. Screw you dude. #Shame on you and Vince McMahon. Shame on you Dishonorably Discharged Marine— Bill in San diego (@BillntwrkBill) July 31, 2014
The truth is that Randy Orton received a bad conduct discharge instead.
There is a huge difference between the two aforementioned types of military discharges.
A bad-conduct discharge is not considered an administrative one and it is a barrier to future military service. Whereas a dishonorable discharge is the most punitive of all military discharges. No military benefits or future military service is possible in the latter case.
#2 Randy Orton didn't defecate into the bag of a former WWE Diva
Former WWE Diva Rochelle Loewen spoke against Randy Orton's inappropriate behavior several years ago.
Rochelle wasn't a fan of WWE before joining the company, and she didn't know exactly know who Orton was back then. Rochelle asked him if he’s from Canada when they spoke for the first time. This approach lit a fuse inside Orton's mind for some reason. He snuck into the women's locker room and soaked her bag in self-tanning lotion and baby oil as revenge.
Additionally, there were exaggerated rumors that Randy Orton also defecated in her bag. Speaking to Chris Cash and Big Mike of the Voice of Wrestling radio show in 2005, Rochelle debunked the defecation rumors for good.
"It was just merely self-tanning lotion and baby oil, but I wouldn't put it past him to s***t in my bag"
This doesn't excuse Randy Orton's reprehensible behavior by any means. Randy Orton has admitted to having attitude issues in his mid-20s, and the Rochelle Loewen story occurred exactly around that point of time in his life.
It's safe to say that Randy Orton has changed as a person over the past few years, and he has revealed that becoming a family man has helped him overcome some personal issues in his life.
#1 Randy Orton and Ken Anderson don't have real-life heat against each other anymore
The story goes that on the May 25th, 2009 edition of WWE RAW, Mr. Kennedy executed a botched belly-to-back suplex in a 10-man tag team match. Ken Anderson, a.k.a Mr. Kennedy, was released from the WWE when Randy Orton had reportedly complained about the aforementioned botch to the management.
WWE fans had been under the impression that things hadn't changed between them over the years that followed. A few months ago, Ken Anderson appeared on Sportskeeda's UnSKripted show with Dr. Chris Featherstone and debunked this myth.
During the interview, Anderson revealed that there is no beef between him and Randy Orton anymore. He even appeared backstage during RAW last year and talked with Orton for a while.
"No, not at all. Not at all. In fact, when I went backstage at RAW, I probably sat and talked to Randy for 30 minutes in the hallway. Yeah, everything is good."
It's nice to hear that both Orton and Anderson share a positive relationship despite what happened between them several years ago in WWE.
Randy Orton has had real-life heat with a lot of WWE Superstars throughout his career, but things have certainly changed a lot over the past few years.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
