Randy Orton is a lot like George Clooney’s character in “Up in the Air,” except he travels with wrestling tights instead of designer suits.
As one of the top superstars in World Wrestling Entertainment, Orton spends an average of five days a week on the road, shuffling between airplanes, rental cars, sports arenas and hotels. He’ll be at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday as part of WWE’s “Over the Limit” pay-per-view event, part of an endless tour that’s kept him on the road for the better part of eight years.
Like Clooney’s character, Orton has come to grips with the realities of life in transit, but takes advantage of it where he can. “Airlines, rental car companies, Marriotts, Hiltons, Hyatts, Wyndhams, Sheratons — we have every points card you can imagine,” he says on the phone last week from his St. Louis home during a day off. “It’s pretty funny, actually.”
The cards might be funny, but the nonstop travel can be grueling. Though he was groomed for the business — both his grandfather, Bob Orton Sr., and his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, were top grapplers in their day — the 30-year-old Orton says life on the road takes its toll.
“The travel, nowadays, is almost tougher on my body than the actual wrestling,” says Orton, who is married and has a daughter who will turn 2 in July. “Sitting in a rental car and driving yourself at 4 or 5 in the morning, trying to get to the gym on four or five hours of sleep, trying to eat well and stay in shape, not getting sick and taking care of yourself, plus being 100 percent in the ring? It’s hard to complain, you just sort of take it. It’s part of the job.”
An average week sees Orton leaving home late Thursday or early Friday, depending how far he’s traveling, and wrestling in different cities Friday, Saturday and Sunday, driving 200-300 miles in between venues. Mondays are live TV days — Orton is one of the stars of WWE’s “Raw,” which has aired live every Monday since 1993 — which he describes as “always a long, hectic day.” He takes the first flight out Tuesday morning and spends the next few days at home, before repeating the cycle again.
In the ring, Orton is known as “The Viper,” a no-nonsense, slightly psychotic warrior with a hair trigger temper. After an extended stint as one of WWE’s biggest bad guys — or heels, in wrestling terminology — Orton’s character has taken a slight turn toward good in recent months.
“It’s been a really organic transition,” says Orton, who became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history when he won the belt at age 24. “It wasn’t something where we told people, hey, this guy’s changing so you better like it. (The fans) turned me into something different. I’m not really a different character, I’m still the same guy that I was last year. I’m not necessarily a babyface” — wrestle-speak for good guy, he sounds disgusted by the word itself — “I’m kind of like a shade of gray.”
Meaning he will still lay out guest stars like Meat Loaf in the ring, like he did recently on TV, and you won’t see him in the stands kissing babies or hugging grandmas. He’s more aggressive than John Cena, the company’s current top babyface, but he plays the heroic role in feuds with bad dudes like Edge, whom Orton will face on Sunday.
In the ring, Orton — who stands 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds — has become as known for his cold, steely-eyed glare as he has the tattoo sleeves that cover his arms. He strikes an imposing figure, which is the way he likes it.
“I pride myself on being able to let the people in without saying much,” says Orton. He relays the story of how he recently took out guest host Wayne Brady in the ring, after Brady misread Orton’s glance as an invitation for a handshake.
“It just goes to show, if you misread what Randy Orton’s thinking, look out,” he says, “because you don’t know what to expect from this guy.”
