Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Randy Orton outside the 2010 Hall of Fame

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

This is post is going to irritate a lot of fans.  But as I've said before, when I have an opinion I want to share, I turn to this blog.  That was the whole point of creating it.  And as always, I welcome opposing view points.

For those who don't know Randy Orton recently did a radio interview in Phoenix where he lays a lot of things out on the table.  Too much on the table I think.  And I'm not just picking on Randy because I'm not a fan of his.  I would criticize anyone who did this.

Kelly Kelly and Kevin Kevin in 2006

Maybe he got caught up in the moment of the interview, but he came off like a douche in many of the segments I listened to.  Most specifically his conversation about Kelly Kelly's personal life.  Click that link above for that portion of the interview.  He essentially says the Kelly Kelly has gotten around the WWE locker room.  If that's true, is it really anyone else's business?  This interview reminded me of a bunch of frat boys sitting around telling tales of their latest conquest.  (I was a frat boy in college, so that's not a stereotype)

I think it's safe to say that Randy Orton is the company's number 2 guy, right behind John Cena.  In that role, I would assume you want someone who is a leader in the locker room too.  He's the top guy on SmackDown! now and probably will be for a while since the Undertaker appears to be done for the time being.  His interview sounded nothing like a leader to me.  Not only did he fill us in on who's sleeping with who backstage, but he dissed Mark Henry's work in the ring.  Understandable to a point, but I think as coworkers working for the common goal, you shouldn't be undermining the others.  At least not publicly.

Orton coming out at Wrestlemania 27

Some of you know, I work in the news business.  I would never dream of throwing a coworker under the bus no matter how strongly I disliked their work, their personality, or them in general.  I don't do it when I talk to my non-news friends, and I would never do it on a radio interview.  It just showed a level of immaturity and unprofessionalism from Orton.  I think when part of your image now as a company is "anti-bullying" and you've got a guy gossiping and telling the world about the personal lives of co-workers, that's a form of bullying. (especially the way the hosts continued to laugh and bring up Kelly Kelly throughout the interview)

That's one thing that I like about John Cena.  While I'm not crazy about the Super Cena character you see on TV, John Cena the man is a standup guy.  I've seen him on non wrestling related events and he has been a class act.  People criticize the guy, but he truly is someone you want representing your company.

I'll close with this.  Randy did at least issue an apology through his Twitter account.  While I don't necessarily think he's sorry for what he said, the words he wrote seemed sincere.  I think it's more of a case of "I'm sorry...for getting caught."

Maybe I'm being too critical.  What are your thoughts?  Did Orton cross the line?  Does he have a right to share his opinion even if it hurts others in the process?  Should we even care about this? Comment here or leave your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or even YouTube.