Randy Orton Admits He Was “Definitely Not Ready” To Be World Champion After Defeating Chris Benoit

Randy Orton in WWE
Randy Orton | WWE

In a sneak peek video from his upcoming A&E Biography: Legends documentary, Randy Orton discussed winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chris Benoit at SummerSlam PPV in 2004.

โ€œThis was the culmination of all this hard work. I knew my father and my grandfather would be watching me, proud of me. I believe Stephanie McMahon gave me her cell phone. She was like โ€˜Call your dad. Call your grandpa. Talk to them.โ€™ And Iโ€™m so glad that she did. My grandpa, he was only around for a few years after so just hearing his voice, hearing how proud he was of me, you know, thatโ€™s a conversation I will never forget. Same with my father, I called him next. Iโ€™d never heard my old man get choked up. Like, heโ€™s old school to the bone. But he was choked up on the phone that night. So it was a special night.โ€

โ€œItโ€™s hard to describe the feeling of the responsibility, the amount of awesomeness that comes with holding that belt. I had the title but I didnโ€™t have the maturity. I definitely was not ready. Iโ€™m really just sitting on top of the world. Iโ€™m making a lot of money for someone my age and Iโ€™m living the dream. And I am a cocky son of a b**ch.โ€