Randy Orton's recent WWE opponent reveals what he was like backstage

With close to 25 years under his belt, Randy Orton is a seasoned veteran in WWE. He has faced many an opponent and has built a reputation as one of the most ruthless performers in the ring. However, what is he like backstage?

Well, a recent opponent of Randy Orton's recently opened up about The Viper's backstage demeanor. Serving as Orton's surprise opponent at WrestleMania 41, Joe Hendry got to rub shoulders with the best of the best.

Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the TNA World Champion spoke about what it was like interacting with Randy Orton. The one word he used to describe the 45-year-old is the same he used to describe both WWE and TNA, "unbelievable."

He started by saying he was grateful for how he had been treated, both by WWE and TNA, before adding that Orton was one of the "coolest guys" to work with. He felt that they clicked almost immediately, and although he did not wish to speak for him, he felt they created some viral moments at WrestleMania 41.

"So I don’t how far I want to pull back the curtain on that one, for a couple of reasons, but this is what I’ll say. Randy was unbelievable to work with, unbelievable. WWE has been unbelievable. TNA has been unbelievable. The way I’ve been treated, I could not have asked for better. Randy was just the coolest guy when it came to this and we clicked immediately. Because I don’t want to speak for him, but I felt like I understood the assignment, and I just really strongly felt that that visual of putting our two characters together, the spin and the RKO combining, to me, was the viral moment," said Hendry. [H/T Chris Van Vliet]

Orton truly is an incredible professional, and this is clearly displayed in his body of work over the last 25 years.

Randy Orton's match with Joe Hendry received a lot of criticism

As mentioned earlier, Joe Hendry got to rub shoulders with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41. Not only that, but he had the honor of being involved in the Legend Killer's 20th WrestleMania appearance.

The match itself, though, was short and sweet, lasting only three minutes. As such, while it did receive praise, it also received a ton of criticism, mostly from fans upset that Hendry was squashed and concerned that the match devalued both him and the TNA World Championship.

Hendry himself spoke about this on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, explaining that he understood how the business works. He believes that it was not a complete squash, as he did manage to get some offense in, but most of all, the match, in his opinion, helped both him and TNA in the long run.

At the end of the day, it was a fun match and put a lot of eyes on Hendry and his work. Currently, Hendry is embroiled in a feud with NXT's Trick Williams, but it will be interesting to see what WWE has planned for him next.