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Randy Orton is a third-generation WWE star who has won 13-time world championships thus far. He is often regarded as one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time.
Even a legend like Ric Flair recently appeared on WWE RAW to say that Orton should be the one to break the 16-time world title record set by Flair and John Cena.
The Viper went through a resurgence in 2020, and he is currently one of the best heel stars on WWE RAW. Because new stories about Orton keep popping up quite frequently, other interesting facts about him may not be as commonly remembered by fans anymore.
Here are five things fans may have forgotten about Randy Orton.
#5: Randy Orton once made an entrance with CM Punk's old theme song
Although CM Punk's peak run in WWE is associated with the "Cult of Personality" theme track, there was a time before when Punk made his entrance using a heavy metal song titled, "This Fire Burns", by Killswitch Engage.
On an episode of SmackDown in 2006, a young Randy Orton came out with the latter theme music blaring throughout the arena's sound system. Clearly, the aforementioned heavy metal track did not fit Orton's slow-burn, sadistic tendencies, so it was eventually recycled as Punk's theme throughout his time in ECW.
This was not the only time WWE has recycled theme songs in the past. Later in his career, Randy Orton got his own iconic theme music titled "Voices", thanks to WWE's famous theme music collaborator, Jim Johnston.
Randy Orton still makes his entrance using that track to this day, but perhaps in an alternate timeline, it's quite interesting to think that The Viper would have been stuck with CM Punk's old theme song for the rest of his career.
#4: Randy Orton served in the U.S. Armed Forces
Randy Orton went to Hazelwood Central High School, and after graduating in 1998, he enlisted with the Marines.
Orton did become a Private First Class and joined the fleet. He was in 1st battalion, 4th Marine when he joined Camp Pendleton, California.
Unfortunately, Orton's time in the U.S. Armed Forces didn't end in the best way possible. After joining the fleet, he disobeyed an order from a commanding officer and went AWOL on two particular instances.
Orton served 38 days in a military prison and received his discharge papers shortly after. In 2012, Randy Orton was replaced from the cast of The Marine 3 movie due to his controversial military record of service.
As evident by this tweet, times have changed a lot since Randy Orton was discharged from the Marines. On the positive side of this equation, even though Orton may not have been the best candidate for military service, he has created a solid legacy as a sports entertainer in WWE, which proved that he excelled by choosing a different career path in his life.
#3: Randy Orton recently admitted that he had attitude issues in his mid-20s
On a conference call just before Randy Orton and Edge's "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at WWE Backlash 2020, The Viper opened up about several topics, including his behavioral issues in WWE.
My attitude when I was in my mid-20s, I think I walked around with a chip on my shoulder. I think it came across as me being stuck up or a narcist. I think that was kind of cover for me and my insecurities. And you wouldn’t think it but a lot of the guys and the girls in the WWE locker room are insecure. We’re human beings and we’re out there wearing next to nothing every week on live television.
Most WWE superstars are associated with backstage controversies in some form or another, and Randy Orton is no different, as The Viper had built up backstage heat and a certain reputation back in the day.
Ultimately, Orton credited his wife for helping him overcome some of the personal issues he had developed in his 20s. Backstage controversies make news headlines every other day, but the fact that Randy Orton recently acknowledged his "bad attitude" is something that many fans tend to overlook.
#2: Randy Orton and Roman Reigns had developed real-life heat against each other in 2013
Years ago, when Roman Reigns was still part of The Shield and nowhere near the star he is today, Reigns got into a controversy with Randy Orton after a house show in 2013.
Following a botched spot, Reigns and Orton got into a shouting match against each other backstage. Top authority figures like Triple H and Vince McMahon weren't on the same page on how to handle this situation.
The Shield in general developed some good amount of heat with their peers for taking their gimmicks too seriously, as ex-WWE writer Court Bauer had stated once.
Reigns and Orton were in two different positions with the company at that time. So it was no surprise that both of them had developed a certain amount of heat with each other in real-life. Reigns even believed that The Viper was "killing his push" when the two men faced each other in an underwhelming series of bouts at several live events.
The Big Dog eventually became a locker room leader and one of the biggest stars in WWE, and his real-life heat with Orton belongs in the past.
Interestingly, Orton recently took a hilarious jab at Roman Reigns' new teeth on Instagram when the latter returned at SummerSlam 2020.
#1: Randy Orton reportedly got Mr. Kennedy fired from WWE
Ken Anderson is popularly known as Mr. Kennedy, and for those who don't know, Anderson was released from the WWE when Randy Orton had reportedly complained about a botch to the management.
This incident has sparked numerous conversations about Anderson and Orton's real-life animosity over the years. Kennedy had dislocated his shoulder back in 2008, and he made a return on the May 25th, 2009 edition of WWE RAW. Kennedy executed a botched belly-to-back suplex in a 10-man tag team match during the same night. He was released from the company four days later due to the aforementioned reason.
Recently, Ken Anderson appeared on Sporstkeeda's UnSKripted Q&A show with Dr. Chris Featherstone. He revealed that there is no beef between both of them right now.
Kennedy even appeared backstage during RAW last year and talked with Orton for quite 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 is good to know that Ken Anderson and Randy Orton have buried the hatchet since then.
Randy Orton has had his share of controversies over the years, but a lot of these incidences have been resolved with time.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
