Wrestlemania was beyond amazing! We finally were able to meet Randy and our picture ended up on wwe.com!

 

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 Went to Smackdown at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA for the live taping on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. The episode just aired on Friday, July 29, 2011. It took me FOREVER to go through my photos as I shoot in raw mode with my Nikon D90. All of the photos were taken with an 85mm f1.8 lens and a good portion of them were cropped. We sat in section 7, row 3, right behind Michael Cole and Booker T. It was probably the best view we've ever had since there was noone sitting directly in front of us in the first two rows most of the time. We saw him in a match with R Truth and Randy RKOed R Truth on top of the Announcer table two separate times right in front of us! There was also a  dark match that had Randy and Christian in a street fight. Cody and Ted came out and beat Randy up a little which earned them both RKOs in the end! After it was over, Randy signed some posters and took a couple of pictures with fans. People were so crazy over it that I couldn't even get up to the front! I actually tweeted Randy about it and he responded:

rayvin78
@RandyOrton also awesome that you stayed to sign. couldn't battle the crowd to get my sign to you even from row 3, but maybe another time
27 Jul

@RandyOrton
Randy Orton
@rayvin78 gotta get that row 1 nxt time!

Posted all of the pics on Photobucket

Kevin Eck conducted a phone interview last week with WWE star Randy Orton, who will face CM Punk at WrestleMania XXVII Sunday.

Orton, who weaved in and out of character during the conversation, talked about whether he is comfortable working as a babyface, his thoughts on Punk as a performer, his TV wives and more.

You’ve been working as a babyface – although you’re certainly not a traditional babyface – for about a year now. Are you feeling comfortable in that role?

Absolutely not. I’m definitely growing as a good guy, as a babyface. I’ve got to walk a fine line, Kevin, because as a bad guy, as a heel, I go so comfortable in that role, I think I eventually earned the respect of the fans. And it wasn’t some master plan to become a good guy one day. I was dead set on being a heel the rest of my career. I figured there’s no way I’ll ever be a good guy. But the fans, they’re powerful, and when they speak together like they did, I started getting positive reactions. I’d be in the ring with a babyface as a heel, but they’d be chanting for me. It’s just one of those things where I just had to make the switch. But I think where I succeeded this time, where I failed back in’04 after I became the youngest champ in history and became babyface, I didn’t change too much. I think that’s very important. That respect I earned from the fans as a bad guy, I don’t want to lose that. And if all of a sudden I’m coming out and I’m trying to be like John Cena, that typical white meat babyface, kissing babies, hugging grandmas, slapping high-five swith everybody in the front row, that’s not going to work. If I come out pumping my fist and smiling, it’s going to make people want to barf. So I really had to walk that fine line and change, but just change enough to where it works for me and my character.



You’re working with CM Punk in a match at WrestleMania that is a little lower on the card than some of the matches you’ve been involved in at past WrestleManias. Do you feel less pressure not being in a main event, or do you relish being in that pressure-cooker?

It’s a good question, but I believe in every Mania, every pay-per-view, Raw, Smackdown or live event I’m in, my goal – and I would hope that everyone else’s goal on the roster – would be to the steal the show, and the pressure is always there. Whether it’s a stage like WrestleMania or another pay-per-view or just TV or a live event, you’ve still got the same fans out there. The WWE Universe is watching and you’ve got to perform. You’ve got to live up to the expectations that you have laid out. Me and CM Punk, we’re not fighting for a title, but if you look back, we’ve got a three-year story line in the making. I cost him the WWE championship back in ’08 when I was returning from a collar bone injury just after the birth of my daughter. I remember it vividly. I punted him in the back of the head backstage on a day when he was champ and was going to defend the title at a pay-per-view. He wasn’t able to even perform in the match because I kicked him in the head, cost him the title. If I was him I would have done the same thing. He came back at the Rumble, cost me the title, but as far as I’m concerned, that made us even. Anything after that, I’m sorry, Phil Brooks, CM Punk. I’m going to destroy him April 3 at WrestleMania XXVII. That’s just how it’s going to go.

Punk was a guy who wasn’t given an immediate big push in WWE. He basically had to earn his stripes and gradually work his way up. What are your thoughts on him as a performer?

That’s true. He was already known – he had done a lot of the Ring of Honor and local independent-type stuff in the Midwest, and he had done some traveling. He was somewhat well-known on an independent level, and I think when he first got called up, he had a lot going against him. He had to prove his worth – we all have to. Some of us have it easier than others. My father got my foot in the door, but eventually it’s up to the performer to prove themselves, and he definitely proved himself. He’s a multiple world champion; he’s got the background; he’s got the dedication. He won the Money in the Bank years before, and he cashed it in, won the championship – he’s done well for himself. But when it comes to CM Punk, I think as far as talent goes, as far as determination on setting a goal and accomplishing that goal, he is nothing – nothing – compared to me when it comes to getting the job done and performing at that level. I have way more experience than he does performing in front of these kinds of crowds, and I’m going to have the crowd on my side, so he’s got the odds against him going into this thing no matter what way you look at it. And not only that, he’s not going to have the rest of his team – The New Nexus – which is pretty much not even in existence anymore. I have completely put that to an end. But it’s just him; no one has his back at WrestleMania XXVII. And that’s going to be good for me because it’s just man to man, toe to toe, me and CM Punk in the ring, nobody else, no interference, and it’s going to go my way.

There was an angle on Raw recently that involved the tour bus that you travel in. I’ve heard that a lot of the top guys have tour buses now and travel with their families, which, obviously, is a lot different than what life was like on the road when your father and grandfather wrestled. Are the tour buses saving marriages?

A lot of guys actually don’t travel by tour bus ; there’s five of us. I think to be able to be at a point in your career where you’ve earned it and you can afford it, I think anyone would be stupid not to do it. What the tour bus does for me – my family coming with me, that’s just the cherry on top – I don’t have to travel 200 and 300 miles a night driving till 3 or 4 a.m. looking for that Denny’s that’s open or that drive-thru at McDonald’s and getting a couple chicken sandwiches and taking the bun off and shoving it down my throat. I got a kitchen, king-size bed, a couple TVs, a washer and dryer, a shower, a bathroom, deep sinks – I’m set. I can travel anywhere around the country, and I can get flat after a match. I think the biggest thing when it comes to injuries and stuff, travel has a big part in that. Because after a match, guys hit the road and they’re in a sitting position. They’re not able to ice up or do whatever they have to do therapy-wise. Being in a car driving like that, it’s just not good on your back, and our backs take a lot of abuse with all the bumps we take in the ring. Our body in general takes a hell of a beating, and that bus allows me to recover – that’s the biggest thing right there. It’s worth every penny because I’m able to recover more than I would in a rental car. Waiting in lines, looking for hotels, reserving rental cars, just plugging in an address into your GPS and hoping that address eventually leads you to a gym and not some middle of the subdivision where the address was wrong. There are lots of things that go into that bus that make it worth its weight in gold, but the No. 1 thing for me is the recovery time that I get having the bus that I didn’t have in the rental cars.

I know that you have a movie coming out soon with WWE Films. What was that experience like?

Well, first of all, I was surrounded by great actors. Ed Harris, of course, was in the movie and so was Amy Madigan. Most of my scenes were with Amy Madigan, and she was great. She was like one of the boys – she cursed like a sailor, was just really cool. She made it really relaxing for me to be able to do the movie. It comes out next month. It was my first time doing anything like that, and I have to say that it was a great experience. It’s definitely different than what I’m doing in the ring. If anything, I’m overacting in the ring because of the facials and the body language. I want the guy in the cheap seats to be able to see what I’m thinking, the expression on my face. But when you’re filming a movie, it could be a two or three camera shot, and you’re doing it over and over and over again. It’s not live TV, it’s a lot different. But they pick up every little expression on your face. You have to actually hold back a little bit. That was my biggest learning experience with the process – learning the whole acting game. Taking the acting classes and learning the craft, getting some acting skills and applying them. I’m proud of what I did. The movie is doing well even before it’s come out. It was featured at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. It was a centerpiece feature, which was great. It was midweek, all the media was there, and it premiered in a 2,000-seat theater, and it was 90 percent packed and got a really good response, and the reviews were good. Even my role got good reviews, so I’m very proud of the project and would love to do more stuff like that in the future.

A lot of observant fans have noticed that your wife seems to look a little bit different every time she’s on TV. Is that sort of a running joke at this point?

That’s a tricky question. Obviously, that’s not my wife. Some guys feel differently about having their wife on camera. Obviously, Shawn Michaels’ wife used to be a WCW Nitro Girl, so she had the experience. Rey Mysterio’s family was involved in a story line that he was in with CM Punk. And, of course, Stephanie McMahon. I don’t mind my family being at the Hall of Fame and the media being there and a few snapshots here and there, but as far as bringing my wife and especially my 3-year-old daughter onto the screen, I’m not ready for that. I don’t think that’s their place, and I don’t want to expose them to that. I think it definitely impacts negatively what we’re trying to do, but it’s a tricky question and I really don’t know how to answer it. I don’t want to say, “Oh, well, that was my wife,” because obviously two years ago when Triple H did the whole home invasion angle, I had a different wife. I haven’t been married three times in the last two years, that’s for sure [laughs]. It’s tough, but if they want to do something where I have a wife there, then they’re going to have to hire me a wife, I guess. I think a lot of the fans know who my wife is. She’s got more hits on Google and Yahoo than some of our Divas [laughs]. But I don’t want to ask that of her. If she was comfortable doing it, it might be a different story, but that’s not really what I want my family to be involved with.

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WWE Interview: Randy Orton's life as "the bad guy"
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By Jon Robinson

How careful do you have to be when punting your boss in the head?

Well, if you're Randy Orton, the most hated heel in the wrestling industry and your boss is billionaire bad boy Vince McMahon, the answer (backed up by the sick thud of replay) is not so safe.

And that's just how WWE wanted to lead into their second biggest pay-per-view of the year, with Orton kicking McMahon in the head to the shock/cheers/boos/disbelief of the millions of Raw fans who scrambled for their DVR remote to watch the kick again.

"If you watch the replay, I wasn't too careful. I definitely let him have it," Orton admits when talking about what transpired Monday night. "My wife DVR'd it for me because I had to watch it for myself. My foot still hurts. And if that's the case, I'm sure he has a nice migraine right now."

ESPN caught up with Orton as he prepared for the 30-man Royal Rumble match to talk about what it's like playing the role of a heel, the story behind his new tats, and the future of The Legacy.

Here's what the best punter since Ray Guy had to say:

ESPN: How did growing up in a house where your dad (Cowboy Bob Orton) was one of the top heels of his day, prepare you for life as "the bad guy"?

Randy Orton: I have to put my father over because he really taught me a lot, especially when it comes to out-of-the-ring psychology and how to react when you're approached by fans after a show or in the airport. It might sound silly, but a lot of those things come into play when you're playing a character. You meet people outside of the ring, and if you act a certain kind of way, then they really believe that this guy is a bastard. They want to watch, tune in, buy tickets to see me get my ass handed to me, and I think that's why I'm in the position I'm at right now, because I understand that. I understand the psychology of the sport, especially inside the ring. From bell to bell, from when my entrance plays and I step through that curtain, people have to wonder what's going on inside that guy's head. And my theme music, "Voices", describes my character to a tee. When I walk to the ring, I hear voices telling me what to do and sometimes it's not the right thing, but it's definitely damn entertaining.


ESPN: From yourself to Cody Rhodes (son of Dusty Rhodes) and Ted DiBiase (son of The Million Dollar Man) to older guys like The Rock, it seems like the second and third generation stars just have such an edge both inside and outside of the ring. Why is there such an advantage to being a legacy?

Randy Orton: When you grow up in the business as a fan and as the son of someone who wrestles for Vince and wrestles for WWE, you see a lot of backstage stuff and how the wrestlers interact with each other. When I was a kid, these wrestlers really took me under their wing when I got to travel with my dad during the summers. I was so young, traveling with my dad when I was five, six, and seven years old, but I look back and I was so lucky because the guys who are coming up now, most of them only got to watch wrestling on television as a fan. What's different about me, I was bred for it.

ESPN: Your career really started to turn the corner after you joined Evolution with Ric Flair, Triple H and Batista. How did Flair and Triple H help you in your career?

Randy Orton: I have to give props to both Triple H and Ric Flair. When I was a part of Evolution, we rode together from town to town and that was a great experience for me because while my father taught me quite a bit about out-of-the-ring psychology, Flair and Hunter, I really learned a lot from them about how to perform inside the ring. Being involved in tag matches with them and seeing how they react to certain situations that come up in the ring, it became second nature to me. I got to wrestle against people like Shawn Michaels and Goldberg with Flair and Hunter in my ear teaching me right from wrong, pointing out my mistakes. But a big part of that was also me being good enough to correct that mistake and not make it again. Learning from my mistakes at the same time being criticized by Triple H and Ric Flair made me what I am today. Without them, I definitely wouldn't be here right now in this position.

ESPN: Is traveling on the road with Ric Flair the rock star lifestyle it's made out to be?

Randy Orton: Oh my god, yeah. Everything is five star with that guy, from the hotels to the wine and champagne. Before I was married, before I was with my wife, I was traveling with Ric Flair and women were everywhere. It was crazy. The lifestyle he leads, he's the wheelin', dealin', kiss-stealin' son of a gun. He's Ric Flair and there's no one like him, there won't ever be another like him in the wrestling world again. No one will match up to Ric Flair and how he lives. He's a great man and a great tutor of the game. And of course, Triple H is right there too, giving me all the little tips. He loves this business. He is one of those guys who was a fan growing up, but it's different with him because he got it so quick, the understanding of how everything works and the psychology you need to have in the ring and with the fans.

The key is dictating what the fans do rather than letting them dictate what you do. It's a completely different universe when you're in there with Triple H and Ric Flair. Learning from the best, you will eventually become the best if you have the talent already, if you have that potential. And I think that's what they saw in me. They saw that third generation kid who loved the business, had the hunger to be the best, and they took advantage of that and taught me so much. God thank them because without them, I wouldn't have been the three-time World Heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion, tag champion, three-time Survivor Series sole survivor, and I believe I'm going to add Royal Rumble winner after Sunday. I have big hopes.

ESPN: Is the Royal Rumble a fun match to be in because of all the new match-ups, or is it something that is more dangerous than it looks because of all the big bodies that could land on you from any angle?

Randy Orton: It's definitely dangerous. If you get knocked down, if you take a bump in that ring, you have so many feet walking around, so many big guys ... if the Big Show lands on you when you're on the ground, you're not getting back up. He'll pick you up like a sack of crap and toss you over the top rope. I think that's where Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase come in handy. They are the eyes in the back of my head.

ESPN: Your RKO is one of the most spectacular finishing moves in the sport. What do you think it is about the move that makes it something everyone looks forward to seeing, even if we are supposed to hate you?

Randy Orton: It can come out of nowhere. In the air, on the ground, crouched down, setting up for it, it's just something that's unexpected, and when I hit it, you're not kicking out. It's a great move because I can do it to everybody. Since I don't need to pick you up, I can hit Big Show with it, I can hit Rey Mysterio with it. I can do it on the run, if you're back behind me, from either side ... it's the perfect move.

ESPN: You took some time off recently due to injury, and when you came back you were covered in tattoos. Is that a look you always wanted?

Randy Orton: Hell yeah, I've always wanted sleeves. Tattoos are addicting, and I used to have this tribal tattoo, but I was never really happy with it. I wanted to get the sleeves, and when I did get hurt, it wasn't that bad of an injury and I was able to move around just weeks after the bone started to heel. I figured, shoot, this is the best opportunity I've got to sit down and get some work done. I got about 50 hours put into my arms. It's a wash, where it's a faded art. I have a bunch of skulls and roses, and I have a little rose that's colored in that's actually a tribute to my daughter Alanna Marie. They all have their own little meanings to me personally, and I always liked the look of sleeves. I'm really glad I did it.

ESPN: Are the new tats something you want to see updated in your video game character when WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 rolls around?

Randy Orton: For sure. I've actually already taken the studio shots for the new game and the new action figure. The next game should definitely have all my new tattoos.

ESPN: You mentioned Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase earlier and how The Legacy is watching your back. Any hopes to add a new member, and if so, wouldn't Stephanie or Shane McMahon have about the best legacy in the business if you wanted to add one of them?

Randy Orton: I never really thought about that, but that's a really good idea. I would actually like to make the group one more man strong. I would like to have four guys in my group because I think four is that magic number. We need a big guy. Someone we can count on to be the heater. Someone who is an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Someone similar to how Batista was in Evolution. So yeah, I'm still recruiting for The Legacy but I don't think Shane McMahon and Stephanie are too happy about what I did to their dad Monday night. We'll have to wait and see what comes of that.

ESPN: Are there a lot more legacy kids in WWE's development system?

Randy Orton: Mike Rotunda has two boys who are in FCW, the WWE's developmental system. Then of course there was (Superfly) Snuka's son who had his shot, but he's out. Afa the Wild Samoan's son had his shot, but he's out. One guy I've been looking at really closely is Harry Smith. He's Davey Boy Smith's son, and he's a big, young kid who has that hunger. He's a strong boy, and I think he's at that age now where he's learned from some of the mistakes he's made in the past. He originally debuted as DH Smith, but he's a completely different person right now. I have my eye on him, but we'll have to see what the future holds. I need one more guy, but he has to have wrestling in his blood and he has to have that potential to one day follow in my footsteps. I won't settle for anything less.

Randy Orton currently stars in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, and Wii


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The story can be found at http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_48726.shtml

I went to a really great house show in Trenton, NJ a couple weeks ago at the Sun National Bank Center. This is by far the best place to see a house show because they put the chairs much closer to the ring, they space them so you actually have room, and their floor is easily accessible for people with disabilities. Below you will find a link to a slideshow from my Shutterfly album and there are alot of good pics of Randy!

http://share.shutterfly.com/view/flashShareSlideshow.jsp?sid=0AbsWzFy3YtmT_I

This is just a little something that I've been working on for Monday Night Raw on 11/29 in Philadelphia. It's not quite done yet, but I hope to get it printed in time for the show!