5 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE Talking Smack (Jan 31)

3. Up - The Apex Predator

Randy Orton
WWE

Rightfully welcomed as a headline guest to Talking Smack after his unexpected Royal Rumble victory on Sunday, Randy Orton delivered a confident and composed assessment of his victory, his upcoming title match at WrestleMania, and the possibility of a much-maligned clash with John Cena at the 'Showcase of the Immortals'.

Referencing his previous Rumble victory in 2009 and multiple high profile WrestleMania matches, Orton noted how 'it never gets old' when scoring a victory as big as his in the thirty man war.

Discussing with Bryan his assuredness in big matches, he planted seeds for a possible clash with current WWE Champion John Cena, curiously suggesting that 'whether the fans know it or not, they want to see (the Orton/Cena match) again'.

It was an odd tease for yet another clash between the two modern-day WWE stalwarts, considering the different possible outcomes from the Elinination Chamber title match at the February Pay-Per-View, and the more tantalising possibility of a Bray Wyatt match the company have carefully laid groundwork for since his defection to the Family last October.

Ending his segment in character, Orton advised anybody in his path to 'run', tacitly remaining loyal to the Wyatt mantra that has spearheaded an unlikely on and off-screen reinvention for 'The Viper'.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.