Randy Orton On Vince McMahon: "It's Nice Having Him Out Of" WWE

With WWE very much in the post-Vince McMahon era when it comes to the day-to-day running of the company, one person enjoying this new environment is Randy Orton.

The legendary Bill Apter recently caught up with Randy - and 'Cowboy' Bob, for that matter - for Sportskeeda WrestleBinge (as picked up on by f4wonline), where the topic of McMahon came up. While Orton was thankful for the opportunities given to him by the disgraced former WWE Chairman, the 14-time World Champion explained why it's "nice having him out of there".

As the Viper explained:

"Listen, I love Vince, he gave me so many opportunities, but I think it was kind of time for him to move on. It's unfortunate that it happened in the way that it happened, but it's nice having people in charge of me that understand how important it is for you to be home for birthdays and home for Thanksgiving and home for Christmas."

Orton continued:

"Vince McMahon, he had Raw on Monday night live; he doesn't care if you had kids. I came to him when I was 35 and my back really started going, and I pleaded with him, like, 'Man, I got to, like, not do as many shows, maybe do half the tour and be able to recover.' And he just looked at me and was, like, 'Oh, I need you on these shows, Randy. Mother Nature gets us all''. And to hear that and go, 'OK, well I guess there's no other thing I can do other than just wear myself out down to the nub until I can't walk anymore for this man'. And all of the opportunities he gave me, it's nice having him out of there, and it's nice having his son-in-law, Triple H, running the game. Nick Khan's great, everybody at TKO that's come in, stepped in, they seem to get it, and it's just a different era."

Of course, Vince McMahon was forced to resign in disgrace for a second time when former WWE employee Janel Grant brought a lawsuit against him earlier in the year alleging sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by McMahon. John Laurinaitis and WWE are also defendants in Ms. Grant's lawsuit, although that lawsuit has now been put on hold for six months at the request of the US Attorney's Office as it carries out its own investigation into McMahon.