Following his surprise showdown with TNA World Champion Joe Hendry at WrestleMania 41, Randy Orton shared his thoughts on the unexpected matchup in an interview with Cathy Kelley.
Orton, who was originally scheduled to face Kevin Owens before a last-minute change due to injury, opened up about the experience of going into WrestleMania without knowing his opponent.
“Having fun — that’s the part of what we do that sometimes you don’t get to have as much fun out there because of the nerves, the adrenaline, it’s through the roof,” Orton explained. “You can’t sleep nights before. But me not knowing who my opponent was going to be, all those nerves were gone, and I was able to soak up all that energy.”
Orton embraced the spontaneity of the moment and praised the atmosphere.
“Got to say a little something, get everybody ready for the fact that we don’t know who’s about to step through that curtain. I couldn’t be more happy with who my opponent ended up being.”
When Hendry’s music hit and the crowd erupted, Orton knew the match would be something special.
“Now, when I first heard the music, and I first saw who it was, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to feel about it, but then I heard the people’s reaction to this guy — and they love him. They love him.”
While the match ended with Orton delivering multiple RKOs, as expected, he admitted he may have picked up a new move from Hendry.
“I did my own little version of the Hendry spin around. I don’t know what he calls it, but I’ll tell you what, I might have to steal that for next week… If I do it again, it will be on SmackDown, or maybe Monday Night Raw.”
The bout marked a rare cross-promotional moment, spotlighting Hendry on WWE’s biggest stage. Whether it leads to more interaction between WWE and TNA remains to be seen, but for Orton, the moment was all about enjoying the ride and delivering for the fans.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more WrestleMania fallout and potential updates on Randy Orton’s next move.
