Matt Hardy pays tribute to Randy Orton

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Randy Orton has built a tremendous legacy during his 20 years in WWE. At 42, the 'Legend Killer' currently holds the Raw Tag Team Championship alongside Riddle. In addition to being a 14-time world champion, the Knoxville champion has each held the Intercontinental title, the United States Championship, the World Tag Team Championship and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship once each, becoming the 10th wrestler in history to complete the Grand Slam.

He has also won the Royal Rumble match twice and the Money in the Bank once. Despite having received countless awards, the Viper has often been the subject of criticism from fans and insiders. In the latest edition of 'The Extreme Life', Matt Hardy defended his former colleague in WWE with the sword.

Matt Hardy praises Randy Orton

"I think Randy Orton is a formidable athlete" - began Matt Hardy. “Those who argue that Randy doesn't work a lot, is listless and has an arrogant attitude, know nothing about him and don't know the basics of professional wrestling.

When it comes to traditional schooling and storytelling within a match, there is no one better than Randy" - he added. In the latest episode of Monday Night Raw, Orton celebrated the 20th anniversary of his WWE debut. Former WWE and WCW writer Vince Russo criticized the company's over-reliance on Randy's finisher.

"When I learned that WWE would be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Orton's debut, I immediately predicted that the Viper would give everyone the famous RKO of him. If I had wagered some money on that epilogue, I would now be a rich man.

WWE couldn't be more predictable and predictable than this. The fans in the arena were certainly happy to witness that moment, but the spectators in front of the TV enjoyed it much less. If you stop and think about it, you realize that that segment was totally meaningless." Roman Reigns won the WWE title at WrestleMania 38 by beating Brock Lesnar.

He has now become the undisputed Universal champion in WWE, holding the world championships of RAW and SmackDown. Last week, he told his cousins The Usos to do the same and win the RAW Tag Team titles from RK-Bro. RK-Bro retained the RAW tag team titles in a spectacular match against Alpha Academy and The Street Profits at WrestleMania 38.

They have faced The Usos multiple times before but never with a title unification stipulation. “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”.