"Cowboy" Bob Orton isn't ready to ride off into the sunset quite yet.
While no longer a full-time grappler, the 60-year-old Orton is still working sporadically on the independent circuit and making appearances at pro-wrestling conventions like the WrestleReunion event being held from Friday through Sunday in Los Angeles. Orton also has another connection to today's wrestling world: Son Randy is one of World Wrestling Entertainment's biggest stars.
"I get letters every day from people wanting his autograph," a laughing Orton said during a recent telephone interview. "He's kept me in the limelight a little bit, which is nice. I worked about 15 times last year. I certainly don't mind getting the call."
Orton knows firsthand about being a second-generation wrestler. His father, Bob Orton Sr., was a headliner nationwide from the 1950s through the '70s.
"Cowboy" Bob broke into the business teaming with his father in Florida during the early '70s. He also was a top performer in regional territories before signing with WWE in '84. That's when Orton enjoyed the greatest success of his career. He was given a second nickname ("Ace") as the de facto enforcer for "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the company's top heel performer. Orton also was part of the first "Wrestlemania," in '85, serving as the ringside second to Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in their headline match against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.
"Wrestlemania" entrenched WWE as the dominant U.S. promotion. But it was outstanding veteran hands raided from regional groups, like Orton, Piper and Hogan, that comprised the backbone of WWE's national expansion.
"A lot of things fell into place," Orton said. "We had the best talent and, of course, (WWE owner) Vince McMahon had the novel idea of going nationwide. When Hogan came in, he was so hot that it just clicked. And then we got stars from other areas like Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Liberace and Muhammad Ali involved. People loved to watch it."
They also loved to hate Orton, who would rile fans by using a cast on his forearm as a weapon against baby-face opponents. Orton was never really injured, but still donned the plaster for well over a year.
While his role at "Wrestlemania I" was more prominent, Orton said his most memorable wrestling moment came in an undercard tag-team match with Don Muraco against the Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) at "Wrestlemania III" in 1987.
"'Wrestlemania I' had all the hype, but I didn't actually wrestle," said Orton, who cost Piper and Orton their match by accidentally whacking the latter with his cast. "I was involved in the main event, but I didn't get to do what I enjoy doing best. Plus at 'Wrestlemania III,' there were 90,000-plus people (in attendance). It was just awesome."
Although he was only 38, Orton began winding down his career in 1988 after leaving WWE. Orton was burned out by travel that he said consisted of stretches where he would work 90 to 100 consecutive days without time off. Orton would sometimes return to his home in St. Louis for a few hours to see his family -- Randy Orton was in elementary school at the time -- before turning right back around and hitting the road.
"As I started getting older," he said, "when I took time off, it seemed like all the little bone chips I had got embedded. My body just couldn't do a whole lot, especially after the (substance) abuse I put it through. ... "
But while Orton was branching away from pro wrestling -- he later became a used-car salesman -- his son was beginning to follow in his footsteps. Orton, though, didn't realize it at the time.
"He started to wrestle at 9 years old and had a pretty good amateur career," Orton said. "He was going to go away to (college), but he didn't know exactly what he wanted to major in, so he decided to join the Marines. That didn't work out, so we went down and talked to (WWE road agents) Jack Lanza and Tony Garea. They brought Randy up and had a look at him. The rest is history."
Randy quickly rose through the ranks of a WWE developmental territory (Ohio Valley Wrestling) before making his debut on the main talent roster in 2002. Randy would send tapes of his OVW matches and interviews to his father and seek his advice.
"I think in the beginning I helped him out a lot," Orton said. "I showed him a lot of stuff and introduced him to a lot of people. But I also told him to listen and learn up there. That's what he did. He developed pretty darn quick."
Orton said he realized that his son was destined for stardom the first time he attended a live OVW event in 2001. In the past nine years, Randy has enjoyed seven different WWE world-title reigns and will begin an eighth if he defeats Mike "The Miz" Mizanin on Sunday night's "Royal Rumble" pay-per-view show.
Randy's success led to an opportunity for his father's WWE return in 2005. Bob teamed with his son and also served as a ringside second.
"I had forgotten how taxing that travel is on you," said Orton, who was released by WWE because of medical reasons in February 2006. "I was mentally tired, but I had a great time."
Now retired from the work force, Orton has plenty of time to watch his son on WWE programming. Not only is Randy a potential headliner at "Wrestlemania 27" in April, Bob also believes his son is just beginning to reach his full potential.
"What's scary is, he's starting to get healthy again," said Bob, referring to Randy's extensive history of shoulder and neck injuries. "His (in-ring) psychology is really falling into place. He can really handle the crowd while also handling the match. He should continue to improve as long as he stays devoted, which he seems to be doing pretty good at."
Bob is scheduled to sign autographs and participate in a legends battle royale at WrestleReunion. For more information, visit www.wrestlereunion.com.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Big Show DVD Match Details
WWEDVDNews.com has disclosed the matches and segments that will appear on WWE's upcoming three-disc DVD set on Big Show, The Big Show: A Giant's World—set for release on Feb. 22.
- THE BIG SHOW A GIANT'S WORLD DOCUMENTARY
- MEET THE PARENTS
- YOU'RE THE BIG SHOW
- THE ROCK IS FIRST CLASS
- SMACKDOWN - OCTOBER 28 1999
BIG SHOW VS. THE DUMPSTER
- SMACKDOWN - NOVEMBER 11 199
DEARLY DEPARTED
- RAW - APRIL 3 2000
BIG SHOW THE ENTERTAINER
- THE BIG FATHER
- SMACKDOWN - APRIL 15 2004
BIG SHOW VS. TORRIE WILSON'S CAR
- SMACKDOWN - MARCH 24 2005
BIG SHOW VS. THE JEEP
- TRIPLE H ROASTS BIG SHOW
- KENNY IN KNUCKLEHEAD
- LIFESTYLE CHANGE
- BIG SHOW VS. EVERYONE
- HALLOWEEN HAVOC - OCTOBER 29 1995
THE GIANT VS. HULK HOGAN MONSTER TRUCK SUMO MATCH
- HALLOWEEN HAVOC - OCTOBER 29 1995
THE GIANT VS. HULK HOGAN - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- NITRO - APRIL 29 1996
THE GIANT VS. RIC FLAIR - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SLAMBOREE - MAY 19 1996
THE GIANT VS. STING - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- GREAT AMERICAN BASH - JUNE 16 1996
THE GIANT VS. LEX LUGER - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- RAW - MARCH 22 1999
BIG SHOW VS. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN
- RAW - JUNE 7 1999
BIG SHOW VS. THE UNDERTAKER - WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SURVIVOR SERIES - NOVEMBER 14 1999
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H VS. THE ROCK - TRIPLE THREAT MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
- BACKLASH - APRIL 30 2000
BIG SHOW VS. KURT ANGLE
- SURVIVOR SERIES - NOVEMBER 17 2002
BIG SHOW VS. BROCK LESNAR - WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- BACKLASH - APRIL 27 2003
BIG SHOW VS. REY MYSTERIO
- NO MERCY - OCTOBER 19 2003
BIG SHOW VS. EDDIE GUERRERO - UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SMACKDOWN - SEPTEMBER 9 2004
BIG SHOW RETURNS
- NO MERCY - OCTOBER 3 2004
BIG SHOW VS. KURT ANGLE
- TABOO TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 1 2005
BIG SHOW & KANE VS. LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH - WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION - JANUARY 8 2006
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H
- ECW - JULY 4 2006
BIG SHOW VS. ROB VAN DAM – ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SUMMERSLAM - AUGUST 20 2006
BIG SHOW VS. SABU - ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- RAW - MARCH 10 2008
THE OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN FOR WRESTLEMANIA XXIV
- WRESTLEMANIA XXIV - MARCH 30 2008
BIG SHOW VS. FLOYD MAYWEATHER - NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH
- SMACKDOWN - APRIL 10 2009
BIG SHOW VS. KOFI KINGSTON
- RAW - APRIL 20 2009
BIG SHOW VS. REY MYSTERIO
- HELL IN A CELL - OCTOBER 4 2009
BIG SHOW & CHRIS JERICHO VS. BATISTA & REY MYSTERIO - UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- RAW - FEBRUARY 8 2010
TRIPLE THREAT ELIMINATION MATCH FOR THE UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP = BIG SHOW & THE MIZ VS. TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS VS. CM PUNK & LUKE GALLOWS
- SUMMERSLAM - AUGUST 15 2010
BIG SHOW VS. CM PUNK, LUKE GALLOWS & JOSEPH MERCURY - 3-ON-1 HANDICAP MATCH
- EASTER EGG: THE END OF JERISHOW
- THE BIG SHOW A GIANT'S WORLD DOCUMENTARY
- MEET THE PARENTS
- YOU'RE THE BIG SHOW
- THE ROCK IS FIRST CLASS
- SMACKDOWN - OCTOBER 28 1999
BIG SHOW VS. THE DUMPSTER
- SMACKDOWN - NOVEMBER 11 199
DEARLY DEPARTED
- RAW - APRIL 3 2000
BIG SHOW THE ENTERTAINER
- THE BIG FATHER
- SMACKDOWN - APRIL 15 2004
BIG SHOW VS. TORRIE WILSON'S CAR
- SMACKDOWN - MARCH 24 2005
BIG SHOW VS. THE JEEP
- TRIPLE H ROASTS BIG SHOW
- KENNY IN KNUCKLEHEAD
- LIFESTYLE CHANGE
- BIG SHOW VS. EVERYONE
- HALLOWEEN HAVOC - OCTOBER 29 1995
THE GIANT VS. HULK HOGAN MONSTER TRUCK SUMO MATCH
- HALLOWEEN HAVOC - OCTOBER 29 1995
THE GIANT VS. HULK HOGAN - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- NITRO - APRIL 29 1996
THE GIANT VS. RIC FLAIR - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SLAMBOREE - MAY 19 1996
THE GIANT VS. STING - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- GREAT AMERICAN BASH - JUNE 16 1996
THE GIANT VS. LEX LUGER - WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- RAW - MARCH 22 1999
BIG SHOW VS. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN
- RAW - JUNE 7 1999
BIG SHOW VS. THE UNDERTAKER - WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SURVIVOR SERIES - NOVEMBER 14 1999
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H VS. THE ROCK - TRIPLE THREAT MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
- BACKLASH - APRIL 30 2000
BIG SHOW VS. KURT ANGLE
- SURVIVOR SERIES - NOVEMBER 17 2002
BIG SHOW VS. BROCK LESNAR - WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- BACKLASH - APRIL 27 2003
BIG SHOW VS. REY MYSTERIO
- NO MERCY - OCTOBER 19 2003
BIG SHOW VS. EDDIE GUERRERO - UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SMACKDOWN - SEPTEMBER 9 2004
BIG SHOW RETURNS
- NO MERCY - OCTOBER 3 2004
BIG SHOW VS. KURT ANGLE
- TABOO TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 1 2005
BIG SHOW & KANE VS. LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH - WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION - JANUARY 8 2006
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H
- ECW - JULY 4 2006
BIG SHOW VS. ROB VAN DAM – ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- SUMMERSLAM - AUGUST 20 2006
BIG SHOW VS. SABU - ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- RAW - MARCH 10 2008
THE OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN FOR WRESTLEMANIA XXIV
- WRESTLEMANIA XXIV - MARCH 30 2008
BIG SHOW VS. FLOYD MAYWEATHER - NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH
- SMACKDOWN - APRIL 10 2009
BIG SHOW VS. KOFI KINGSTON
- RAW - APRIL 20 2009
BIG SHOW VS. REY MYSTERIO
- HELL IN A CELL - OCTOBER 4 2009
BIG SHOW & CHRIS JERICHO VS. BATISTA & REY MYSTERIO - UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
- RAW - FEBRUARY 8 2010
TRIPLE THREAT ELIMINATION MATCH FOR THE UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP = BIG SHOW & THE MIZ VS. TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS VS. CM PUNK & LUKE GALLOWS
- SUMMERSLAM - AUGUST 15 2010
BIG SHOW VS. CM PUNK, LUKE GALLOWS & JOSEPH MERCURY - 3-ON-1 HANDICAP MATCH
- EASTER EGG: THE END OF JERISHOW
Jake Roberts Interview Highlights
Recent Interview Highlights from Jake Roberts. who is slated to have his retirement match this weekend..
His retirement match:
"Why not make this my last match? It is L.A., and there have been a lot of good moments in my career in L.A. To wrestle Sinn Bodhi makes it that much better. He is someone I like and respect, and have always wanted to wrestle again. I wrestled him a few years ago but he has learned a little bit since then. It will be a good experience."
Retirement life:
"I have no idea, I will get that when I get to it I guess. We will find out in a few days. After retiring I want to be doing movies, watching movies, and raising my grandkids. I love being a grandfather, I really do. It just reminds me of what I missed before with my own kids being on the road so much."
Whether or not he has talked with WWE about the 2011 Hall of Fame:
"Absolutely not. I wish there was but there hasn't been. It is what it is. I am just waiting patiently."
His retirement match:
"Why not make this my last match? It is L.A., and there have been a lot of good moments in my career in L.A. To wrestle Sinn Bodhi makes it that much better. He is someone I like and respect, and have always wanted to wrestle again. I wrestled him a few years ago but he has learned a little bit since then. It will be a good experience."
Retirement life:
"I have no idea, I will get that when I get to it I guess. We will find out in a few days. After retiring I want to be doing movies, watching movies, and raising my grandkids. I love being a grandfather, I really do. It just reminds me of what I missed before with my own kids being on the road so much."
Whether or not he has talked with WWE about the 2011 Hall of Fame:
"Absolutely not. I wish there was but there hasn't been. It is what it is. I am just waiting patiently."
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
More Flair News/Rumours re: Maximum Impact Tour 2011
Several TNA wrestlers are rolling their eyes at the news of Ric Flair coming back to the current UK tour. The decision to bring Flair back on the tour is said to be a financial one. The feeling was that they needed to keep Flair on the tour to maintain good relations with the local promoters and the fans. This is the same reason Matt Hardy was added to the tour after a number of recent changes with Kurt Angle leaving as well as injuries to AJ Styles and Alex Shelley.
Most of the TNA crew was in favor of leaving Flair behind in Dublin earlier this week and aren't happy about him coming back. Several wrestlers spoke up to TNA officials in the past day, pushing for him to be sent him and even released from the company.
On the other hand, a lot of the TNA talents feel sorry for Flair. One TNA wrestler, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Flair has asked several co-workers for money when his credit cards have been declined.
Another source says that the younger TNA stars have began to unite against the veterans with the feeling that they're the ones carrying TNA with their work while some of the veterans treat TNA like it's their "country club."
Most of the TNA crew was in favor of leaving Flair behind in Dublin earlier this week and aren't happy about him coming back. Several wrestlers spoke up to TNA officials in the past day, pushing for him to be sent him and even released from the company.
On the other hand, a lot of the TNA talents feel sorry for Flair. One TNA wrestler, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Flair has asked several co-workers for money when his credit cards have been declined.
Another source says that the younger TNA stars have began to unite against the veterans with the feeling that they're the ones carrying TNA with their work while some of the veterans treat TNA like it's their "country club."
Ricky Steamboat Interview Highlights
Below are some interview highlights with Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat.
When you're in the middle of a classic match like the one against Savage or the series of matches you had against Ric Flair, do you know while it's happening how good it is, or does it take time to reflect on a match's greatness?
I like to listen to the crowd, I really do. The crowd helps give me that extra boost of adrenaline. When I take a moment and listen to the wrestling fans and they're shouting, "C'mon Ricky, you can do it!" It helps me in my heart to know that there are people out there who paid good money to watch guys like us go out there and perform. The fans have always played a major role for me and have helped me do what I need to do in the ring. Ultimately, when you dig down deep, if you did it to a silent movie, I know I wouldn't have the same response as when I have thousands of people cheering. The fans can bring a better match by getting more involved. So when a match is over, they might be talking about how good the match was, but little do they know, that great match was elevated because of them. They're helping me out. Look at Wrestlemania III. You had 93,000 fans screaming. That's probably a major reason why that match turned out so good.
You were out of the spotlight for a while, then you came back a few years ago and wrestled an incredible match against Chris Jericho on pay-per-view. How surprised were you that you could still perform at that high of a level?
I'll be 58-years-old next month, approaching that big 6-0. We've had a lot of guys who wrestled when I wrestled and made appearances -- Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper -- and you watch them in the ring and remember how they were. I would watch and go, "Oh man, that's not the same kind of guy." I didn't want that to come across with me so I really trained hard. I had been out of the ring for about 14 years at that point, hitting the ropes so to speak, but never having a match. Then we had the match at Wrestlemania and everyone was so surprised to see me, but the fans were singing, "You still got it! You still got it!" Next thing you know, Vince McMahon came up to me and told me he was going to put me in a match against Jericho one-on-one. That's when I really picked up my training. I was happy just being able to pull it off at my age. The bones still hung together. It was a great moment and it really felt good.
When you look back, do you regret never getting a shot at Hogan and the championship? Why do you think you were never given that opportunity?
Timing. A lot of times when you find out you're going to get a shot at the World Championship, it has to do with the situation of the company and you need to be there at the right time for it. I think my time would have come up, but then I went to the other company that we don't want to mention. Then I came back, but it was just wrong place, wrong time. I've had fans ask me that a lot, "How come you were never WWE Champion?" It was just bad timing.
When you're in the middle of a classic match like the one against Savage or the series of matches you had against Ric Flair, do you know while it's happening how good it is, or does it take time to reflect on a match's greatness?
I like to listen to the crowd, I really do. The crowd helps give me that extra boost of adrenaline. When I take a moment and listen to the wrestling fans and they're shouting, "C'mon Ricky, you can do it!" It helps me in my heart to know that there are people out there who paid good money to watch guys like us go out there and perform. The fans have always played a major role for me and have helped me do what I need to do in the ring. Ultimately, when you dig down deep, if you did it to a silent movie, I know I wouldn't have the same response as when I have thousands of people cheering. The fans can bring a better match by getting more involved. So when a match is over, they might be talking about how good the match was, but little do they know, that great match was elevated because of them. They're helping me out. Look at Wrestlemania III. You had 93,000 fans screaming. That's probably a major reason why that match turned out so good.
You were out of the spotlight for a while, then you came back a few years ago and wrestled an incredible match against Chris Jericho on pay-per-view. How surprised were you that you could still perform at that high of a level?
I'll be 58-years-old next month, approaching that big 6-0. We've had a lot of guys who wrestled when I wrestled and made appearances -- Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper -- and you watch them in the ring and remember how they were. I would watch and go, "Oh man, that's not the same kind of guy." I didn't want that to come across with me so I really trained hard. I had been out of the ring for about 14 years at that point, hitting the ropes so to speak, but never having a match. Then we had the match at Wrestlemania and everyone was so surprised to see me, but the fans were singing, "You still got it! You still got it!" Next thing you know, Vince McMahon came up to me and told me he was going to put me in a match against Jericho one-on-one. That's when I really picked up my training. I was happy just being able to pull it off at my age. The bones still hung together. It was a great moment and it really felt good.
When you look back, do you regret never getting a shot at Hogan and the championship? Why do you think you were never given that opportunity?
Timing. A lot of times when you find out you're going to get a shot at the World Championship, it has to do with the situation of the company and you need to be there at the right time for it. I think my time would have come up, but then I went to the other company that we don't want to mention. Then I came back, but it was just wrong place, wrong time. I've had fans ask me that a lot, "How come you were never WWE Champion?" It was just bad timing.
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