By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE wrestler Randy Orton says he would have preferred to "be a heel forever," similar to how Triple H or Edge think about their characters, but booking changes and audience reaction dictated he turn babyface. Orton said he believes his character is still heelish.

"It doesn't matter whether I am heel or babyface, I'll still be the same character ... unless they put a mask on me [laughs]. I've kind of worked myself into a corner, but I see it as a good thing. I got lucky. I am myself, I am Randy Orton," Orton said in an interview with MSN promoting Summerslam. "But as a babyface, I'm still that same guy. It's weird to even say that, because I don't even feel like a babyface."

Also in the high-profile interview with Dave McCoy on MSN TV, Orton credited WWE matching him up against less-likable characters to allow the audience to warm up to the idea of him turning babyface.

"I'm up against guys the fans don't like. And if they put me in there with the wrong guy, I'd get booed. It's up to the booking, the storylines and what the fans want, really," he said. "Around this past WrestleMania 26, the fans really just wanted to start cheering for me. They'd seen me evolve into this character, and I was up against Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, and it was like, 'Yeah, I'd kinda like to see this one guy kick these other two guy's asses.' And that was a good start to the new direction: beating up two guys that nobody liked. It gave me momentum, and I hope it keeps going."

Orton also talked about the move to PG programming. He said he was initially against it, but now he supports it. Orton talked up WWE's marketing, where they are trying to position the product as be different compared to other TV programming in the market. He also took a veiled shot at TNA and how they've booked Ric Flair.

"At first, I wasn't very happy with the idea. I had just gotten used to that style and the way the storylines were going. But now being a father and keeping an eye on what is on the television, I can totally understand that it's better for business and better for our fans, too," Orton said. "There are going to be some people, some older fans, that are upset with that. Well, they can go somewhere else and get their blood. They can watch a 60-year-old man bleed all over each other, if they want. That's fine. We'll be displaying other things on our show. You don't need to bleed on somebody to have a good match. We've proven that."

Orton's comments echoed similar comments made by Vince McMahon earlier this year when TNA experimented with a Monday night timeslot. "It doesn't speak well for the type of product they're trying to present with the tawdry, blood-soaked action. I don't think that’s what the culture wants these days," McMahon said.

Coincidentally, Orton and "60-year-old" Ric Flair had a blood-filled brawl during an episode of WWE Raw in 2009 when Orton was portrayed as a vile heel feuding against Triple H and the McMahon Family on TV.

At the same time, McMahon called TNA's programming "reprehensible." TNA president Dixie Carter shot back with criticism of WWE: "I think it's wonderful that Vince watches TNA Impact," Carter told the U.K. Sun. "And I agree with him that things such as the brutal beating of a sixty-year-old man, a vicious home invasion, and gratuitous man-on-woman violence can be seen as reprehensible - and that's just the last three Monday nights." The common factor is Ric Flair being in the middle of this, now being on the other side of the fence.

***

Orton, who has suffered his share of injuries during his career, said one of the main reasons why he believes WWE wrestlers are often-injured is not having proper recovery time as part of their routine being constantly on the road working WWE's full-time schedule.

"The most important things when taking care of yourself, if you're a body-builder or anybody in fitness, is diet, training and recovery," Orton said. "We have the diet down. We can make do with McDonald's all day and figure out what's healthy and get by. We all get to the gym. But we can't recover, so we're missing one of the key elements to keep your body in tip-top condition, and that is why we get hurt."

Orton said one of the keys to his longevity, and what he believes most wrestlers figure out during their career, is using facial expressions to tell a story. Many of Orton's peers believe he has the best body language in the industry being able to convey a story with simple changes to his face and positioning in the ring.

"Where I've come from, with all of my injuries, it's better and safer to have good facials than an aerial stunt or picking a huge guy up," Orton said. "Usually the younger guys with bodies that don't break as easily, they tend to learn this the hard way, as I did."

Orton also talks about working with Sheamus, who he compared to Brock Lesnar in terms of shooting to the top very quickly in WWE, his role in the upcoming WWE Studios movie where he has a minor part, and other topics.

Link: MSN.com. Thanks to Torch reader Josh. P..

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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