With Randy Orton’s in-ring future looking uncertain, one Hall of Famer thinks it is time for him to look in a different direction in the wrestling business.
It has been almost a year since Orton last appeared on WWE TV. On the May 20th, 2022 edition of SmackDown, he and Matt Riddle lost the Raw Tag Team Championships to The Usos. Following the defeat, The Bloodline beat Orton down.
It was later revealed that The Viper was taking time off to deal with a back injury. In November, he underwent surgery for the issue.
In recent weeks, it has emerged that the star’s prognosis isn’t as good as hoped. His father, ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton, revealed in an interview that doctors have told his son not to get back in the ring.
Teddy Long thinks Randy Orton should take a job in NXT
With his in-ring career in jeopardy, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long believes it is time for Orton to look at training the next generation of wrestlers in NXT.
Speaking on The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Long explained that Orton is just the type of person they need in the developmental system.
“If Randy is pretty much set, and the other thing you said about him taking somebody under his wing and helping him out.
“That’s what I would do if I was this guy. Randy is still a young man; he’s still got a long future. That’s what I would do. If I were him, I would go to maybe NXT, take a job there, and help some of the young kids and show them the right way.
“Randy Orton is another guy who knows how this works, and that’s why you gotta have people like him, Shawn Michaels, or Terry Taylor.”
Long went on to say that it would be a “smart” decision for the 14-time World Champion as it would be easy and also something he could be proud of.
“If Randy was smart, I would take that. That’d be easy and plus, he’s giving back to the business.
“Then you can watch what you’ve done if you have helped some of the young kids out. You can sit back and watch and be proud of your work.”
H/T to Sportskeeda for the above transcription.