Randy Orton is arguably the greatest sports entertainer of this generation. The Apex Predator has already won fourteen worlds in WWE and still has a lot left in the tank.
Not only has The Viper excelled as a solo superstar, but also worked extremely well in tag teams. He has won three tag team championships, and those reigns have brought him close to his tag partners.
Some of the biggest names in WWE are good friends with Randy behind the scenes. With that in mind, here are five WWE Superstars who are friends with Randy in real life.
#5. Edge and Randy Orton have spark that has made things work for them in WWE
Edge chose Randy to be his first opponent since his WWE return in 2020. The two had an extended rivalry that saw the Rated-R Superstar pick an injury and take time off again.
It wasn’t the first time the two men got into a rivalry in WWE. Randy and Edge have had several matches together, and against each other, in their careers.
The Viper and Edge are good friends behind the scenes and The Rated-R Superstar prefers working with Randy. In an interview with USA Today’s For The Win, Edge spoke about the first time he met The Apex Predator.
“The first time I met him, I still remember it, I really do. That meeting where Bob [Orton] introduced us, and I just remember thinking ‘hey, he’s taller than me.’ And thinking that he’s got all the tools by just looking at him. You know, he’s a good-looking guy, all of those things – but you don’t know what they bring to the table from an in-ring aspect. The first time I saw him work, I went ‘OK, he’s special.’ And then the first time that we ever actually wrestled against each other was for the Intercontinental title, and pretty much from the get-go, from the first time we locked up there was just something different between us. And it’s either there or it’s not. You can work to get there with someone, but with him and I that spark was immediate. And I’ve had it like that with maybe one other person.”
Former WWE Superstar and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray, known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley, also spoke about the rivalry between the two WWE Superstars in 2020. Ray pointed out that their friendship helped make the rivalry better and more personal.
“Now we get to something completely different with Edge. We get a backstory, we get history, we get friendship, we get family.”
Randy and Edge are currently working on different brands in WWE. However, it would be great if the company pairs them up for another tag team run before either man hangs up their boots.
#4. Former WWE Champion Rey Mysterio is good friends with Randy Orton
Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton have shared the WWE ring on several occasions during their illustrious careers. There is no denying the fact that Orton has played the perfect heel to Mysterio’s babyface character in several storylines.
WWE fans will remember the time Randy Orton took a shot at Mysterio’s long-time best friend in the ring to get more heat towards him. However, behind the scenes, the two superstars are good friends. The Master of the 619 holds The Viper in high regard and has said a lot of good things about Randy.
During a conversation with Sports Illustrated, Mysterio spoke about whom he rates as the best wrestler in the WWE.
“Randy Orton is, in my eyes and in my heart, the best wrestler in that company,” said Mysterio. “I’m not talking about high flying, I’m not taking about the fast-paced acrobatic style. To me, he’s the best in WWE right now. I don’t think there is ever going to be a guy that works the style he does. The way he carries himself in the ring means a lot to me. Randy has a great presence and style that can’t be compared to anyone, and nobody can imitate his style.”
“I actually use Randy Orton as an example to my son because he wants to start training in January. My son is a big kid—he’s 6’1”, 205—and I insist that he must watch and learn from Randy’s style. Not to imitate, but just to learn from what he has done over the years and see his evolution into who he is now. I have tremendous respect for that man. He’s an awesome human being, and he’s a general in the ring.”
Mysterio went on to say that, one day, he wanted to see his son perform at the same level as Orton one day. The two superstars have shared the locker room for a long time, and have mutual respect for one another.
#3. Triple H and Randy Orton have worked together for several years in WWE
Triple H and Randy Orton worked together in WWE for several years. Randy was introduced by Triple H and Ric Flair as part of Evolution. Since then, he has been friends with the two men. The Viper and Triple H have had many rivalries against each other, some involving Triple H’s real-life wife Stephanie McMahon.
In an episode of WWE Network’s Ruthless Aggression series, The Game spoke about how he decided to get Randy on track after seeing a world of potential in him.
“We talked and I said ‘Randy, you have every gift imaginable to be the biggest star this business has ever seen, and the only one that can stop you is you, and you are hellbent on doing it and I don’t know why.’”
Over the years, Triple H has praised Randy’s work in the ring several times and called him a cornerstone of WWE.
"I'm glad to put the rumors to rest. For almost two decades, Randy Orton has been a cornerstone of WWE...and Randy Orton will remain a cornerstone of WWE for a long time!"
Randy started his WWE career with Triple H as his mentor. However, Randy will retire knowing that he surpassed H's achievements with whom he is good friends.
#2. Randy Orton and Riddle have formed an unlikely tag team on WWE RAW
Randy Orton and Riddle are currently at the top of the WWE RAW tag team division. Randy initially joined Riddle to form a team, but was reluctant to continue with The Bro for long.
However, their partnership bore fruit at SummerSlam 2021 when they defeated AJ Styles and Omos to win the RAW Tag Team Championships.
Randy is one of the top superstars in WWE and has partnered with big names. WWE has released a YouTube video documenting RK-Bro’s rise to tag team glory. The Viper spoke out of character to praise Riddle’s work in the ring and said that the two men had now become good friends.
“Once I was around him for a little while, I got to like the guy,” Orton said. “We have a lot more in common than I thought we would. I definitely respect him and his attributes, but the attitude initially I wasn’t a big fan of. Now it’s almost endearing.”
“He’s a quick learner, so I think that’s probably why I went from not really caring for the guy all that much to thinking, ‘You know what, maybe we have something here. We could have something here. Let’s give it a shot.’ So of course we gave it a shot and now it’s been a lot of fun, to be frank, a lot of fun,” Orton added.
It’s good to see a veteran like Randy working with a fresh face in WWE. Riddle has had a good start on the main roster and can on to become a big name in the company.
#1. John Cena and Randy Orton are two of the most decorated men in WWE
WWE would not have been where it is today if it hadn’t been for both Randy and John Cena. The two men made their WWE debuts close to each other and made an impact right away.
Cena and Randy have been together since their time at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). They've had several rivalries in WWE, and some of those rivalries went on for months. However, fans would still pay to watch the two superstars go face-to-face once again.
During his appearance on After the Bell with Cory Graves, The Viper went out of character to praise Cena. He spoke about how he learned a lot from The Doctor of Thugonomics.
"And John Cena. God, I hate saying it, but I learned a lot from that m***********. I really did. Talk about slowing down and breathing and listening to the people. He was a master. He was a f****** ninja at listening to the crowd," Orton said.
Fans have also seen the two superstars have some interesting and hilarious exchanges on social media. Randy and John have a chance to hold the WWE world championships for the most number of times, and it will be interesting to see who breaks Ric Flair’s record first.