Former World Champion Randy Orton recently admitted that he didn't always want to share what he's learned. However, his perspective changed everything.
On The Pat McAfee Show, Orton opened up about his evolution as a locker room veteran and the shift from self-preservation to genuine mentorship, pointing to names like Je'Von Evans and Trick Williams as examples of the next generation he genuinely wants to see succeed.
I don't want anybody to take my spot. And then I kind of got to the point where I realized — that's not possible. They can't take my spot," Orton said.
Je'Von Evans Gets High Praise — With One Warning
Orton has been vocal about Evans' ceiling ahead of their shared Elimination Chamber appearance, but on McAfee's show, he framed his admiration with a practical caution.
He's doing so many things that nobody else can do. And he just doesn't need to do them all every night," Orton said.
It's a lesson Randy Orton has watched get ignored before, and one he's seen cost careers. The wrestlers who absorb that kind of advice are the ones who stick around, and Orton can tell the difference quickly.
You get the occasional kid that'll come up like, 'Hey, will you watch my match?' You watch it, you talk to him, he doesn't change anything or take any advice. And you realize, 'Oh, okay, you piece of [work] — you're just doing what you think you should do.' But then there's the guys that really care. And like a Je'Von Evans or a Trick Williams — there's so many other guys.
How the Locker Room Has Changed
The culture around being a WWE Superstar looks nothing like what Orton navigated coming up. The numbers alone tell part of the story — he averaged around 180 matches per year for 15 years, peaking at 220-plus in 2013, compared to roughly 64 today.
A lot has changed. With social media and everybody having a recording device on them, so much has changed," he said. "I don't want to get into the exacts, but we were always getting into something after the show.
He sees the shift as a net positive for the current generation, even if he's nostalgic about what was lost.
God [I] would be in so much trouble this day and age. I think the guys now are smarter. They're more interested in getting up early and training the next day. Your body's your temple. Times have changed. We used to put a lot of things in our body.
Orton and Evans are both inside the Elimination Chamber this Saturday, February 28 in Chicago at 7 PM ET on the ESPN App.
