Randy Orton talks WWE TV return, what’s left for him to accomplish?, facing Brock Lesnar at Summerslam, wanting to wrestle A.J. Styles

By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Randy Orton, 36, returns to WWE TV for the first time this year at the Battleground PPV to discuss his Summerslam match against Brock Lesnar.

Chris Jericho has been assigned the fictional role of interviewing Orton on the PPV to set up the August PPV match. Earlier this month in a radio interview, Booker T asked Orton what he has left to accomplish in WWE.

“I’ve done a lot in WWE. I’ve won Money in the Bank, main-evented WrestleMania, I was in 12 consecutive WrestleManias until this last year with the shoulder surgery,” Orton told Booker on his Heated Conversations Houston radio show. “It’s getting that WrestleMania match that everybody talks about for years and years and years.

“People still talk about that Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 25… I have matches I’ve had throughout my career, like Backlash 2004 with Mick Foley. That was the beginning of ‘Randy Orton.’ I think having matches like that people will always bring up – that would be my goal; to have memorable matches and go out there every night to try to steal the show and have the best match of the show.”

Orton said he’s at the point in his career where he wants to be remembered and stand out to where people on social media are talking about him after a show.

Orton identified that as a motivating factor for his match against Lesnar at Summerslam – wanting to prove that he belongs in the spot for both of their big PPV in-ring returns.

Personalizing the match, Orton discussed their backgrounds training together at the original OVW facility, being the youngest WWE champions, and being on the main WWE roster together riding with “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and the Big Bossman.

“What a cool car that was. A lot of knowledge; a lot of fun. I know Brock at that level. Even (John) Cena, he started back then with us, but he never rode with Brock and got to know Brock. Me and Brock were pretty tight back in the day,” Orton said.

“I always wanted this match, and it just kind of fell in my lap.”

Orton is also motivated by wanting to check the list of some big dream matches working with a new talent roster, especially A.J. Styles.

Orton said Styles started around the same time he did, but Styles is just now getting on the WWE stage, whereas he’s been in WWE for about 15 years. Orton joked that he really wants to pluck A.J. out of the air for an RKO.

Styles and Orton are now on the same Smackdown brand roster, making that match a strong possibility after Orton gets back in the ring against Lesnar at Summerslam.