Randy Orton versus Daniel Bryan in a No Disqualification Match
They lock up and Bryan works on the arm and wrist. Orton with a reversal into a hammer lock. Bryan with an escape and he goes for the leg. Bryan with a kick to the hamstring and then he sets for the surfboard but he decides to drive Orton’s knees to the mat. Bryan with kicks to the back of the leg but Orton with a head butt and kicks of his own.

Orton with a slingshot suplex and Thesz Press but Bryan escapes and he applies a single leg crab. Orton gets to the ropes but Bryan does not have to release the hold. Orton kicks Bryan away. Bryan with kicks in the corner. Orton with a rake of the eyes and then Orton sends Bryan to the floor and Orton with a clothesline.

The referee starts his count because this is not a No Count Out Match. They return to the ring and Orton gets a near fall. Orton with a reverse chin lock. Orton with a head butt followed by punches on the turnbuckles. Orton with an Irish whip but Bryan flips over and he hits the flying clothesline. Bryan with the running drop kick into the corner followed by the hesitation drop kick for a near fall.

Orton with a kick but when he charges at Bryan, Daniel drops down and Orton goes over the top rope to the floor. Bryan goes for the suicide dive and Orton moves and Bryan hits the ringside barrier. Orton goes under the ring and he finds a kendo stick. Orton hits Bryan with the kendo stick.

They return to the ring and Orton gets a near fall. We go to commercial.

We are back and Orton has Bryan on the turnbuckles and he connects with a head butt before setting for the superplex. Bryan with punches and he sends Orton to the mat with a head butt. Bryan with a missile drop kick and both men are down. Both men struggle to get back to their feet and Bryan with kicks to the chest. Bryan misses a round kick and Orton hits an Exploder suplex.

Orton tries for the IEDDT but Bryan escapes and he tries for the No Lock but Orton escapes and he catapults Bryan over the top rope but Bryan holds on to the ropes and he skins the cat but Orton kicks Bryan in the chest and Bryan goes to the floor.

The official holds Orton back as Bryan is checked by the official.

Bryan goes after Orton and they fight to the floor. Orton with a belly-to-back suplex onto the ringside barrier. The referee has to stop the match on the order of the medical official.

Winner: Randy Orton (by referee stoppage)

After the match: Orton helps Bryan up and shows him some respect.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton
The bell rings and Reigns catches Bryan with a kick and chases him into the corner. Bryan turns things around and catches Reigns with a series of kicks before flipping over him and running into a giant running right hand from Reigns which is good for a two count. Reigns beats on Bryan in the corner and tags out to Rollins who comes in with a series of stomps in the corner before choking Bryan with his boot. Reigns tags back in and he whips Rollins into the corner for a big running forearm that Reigns follows up with a clothesline for two. Reigns traps Bryan in a rear chin lock.

Bryan fights to his feet and out of the hold, but Reigns catches him with a knee to the chin for another near fall. Reigns traps Bryan in another rear chin lock and the crowd attempts to get behind the challenger. Bryan fights up to his feet and hits a huge running clothesline. Orton and Rollins tag in and Orton hits a couple of clotheslines before hitting a huge snap powerslam. Orton sends Rollins out to the apron, and drops him, hitting Roman Reigns with the suspension DDT instead. Orton runs into a big boot from Rollins, but turns a crossbody into a powerslam that’s good for two. Orton goes for the suspension DDT on Rollins, connecting and dropping him to the mat.

Orton drops to the mat and Rollins rolls out of the ring. Orton reaches for Rollins and Reigns blasts him with a huge right hand. Rollins brings things back into the ring and pins Orton for a two count. Rollins stomps away at Orton before tagging back out to Reigns. Reigns comes in and beats on Orton for a bit before going for another pin and getting two. Reigns chokes Orton with his boot and Rollins gets in on the action while the ref is distracted.

Rollins tags back in and stomps away at Orton. Orton tries to come back with a series of rights, but Rollins sends him headfirst into the middle turnbuckle to stop the momentum before tagging out to Regins. Reigns comes in and traps Randy in a headlock. Orton fights out, but falls to a Samoan drop for another near fall. Rollins tags in and clamps on a rear chin lock, but Orton fights out. Rollins comes right up with a big leaping enzugiri to drop Orton to the mat. Rollins tags out to Reigns, and double team work goes wrong as Reigns’ shoulder connects with the ring post, and Orton suplexes Rollins into Reigns in the corner. Bryan tags in and hits a double missile dropkick before hitting consecutive corner dropkicks on Reigns and Rollins, then another low dropkick in the corner on Reigns. Bryan hits Reigns with a series of kicks to the chest, and a big kick to the side of the head, but it’s not enough for a three count.

Bryan is able to toss out both Reigns and Rollins, but when he goes for a suicide dive, Rollins pushes Reigns out of the way and Bryan crashes into Orton. Reigns brings things back into the ring and shoulders Bryan, but Bryan fights out of it. Bryan catches Rollins on the top rope and hits a butterfly superplex that’s good for another two count. Bryan clamps on the no lock, but Reigns breaks it up. Rollins goes for the roll up, but Bryan transitions into the No lock. Reigns breaks it up again.

Orton tries for the RKO on Reigns, but gets pushed off. Bryan is speared by Reigns, but Reigns eats an RKO from Orton. Rollins is in and he knocks Orton from the ring before hitting Bryan with a running stomp to the side of the head.

Winner: The Shield

Daniel says that Kane thinks he is the weak link. He says that they had the Shield beaten already and he will prove on Sunday that he is not the weak link. Kane will have to sit back and know that Randy and him did something that they could never do. Kane wants to know if Daniel is calling him the weak link. Daniel says maybe Kane is right, this may not be the team. Daniel says that Kane is the weak link. Kane grabs Daniel’s throat and Randy Orton’s music plays. Randy tells Kane he cannot let him do that. He knows and understands why Kane wants to choke slam Daniel, but he needs Daniel at 100% at Payback. Whatever Kane does to Daniel affects him . . . so if Kane choke slams him, it might start a chain reaction that leads to an RKO. Kane says that he is ready to go.

Daniel tells Randy he did not tell him to come to the ring. Randy says that he came out here to help Daniel because Kane was going to choke slam him through the mat. Daniel says that he did not tell Randy to save him. Randy reminds them about the fact that they are partners. Kane says that he is done with this, but Daniel tells him that he is walking away from things like he always has.

While the Bickersons bicker in the ring, The Shield appear on the TitanTron. Seth says that it is funny watching them out there. Dean calls it a car wreck. He says that after being embarrassed for six months by the Shield, they would be mad, but they are mad at themselves. Every ‘super team’ that is put together, they are unable to stop the Shield. Dean asks them if they believe in the Shield. He says that there is no need to argue because tonight will be like every other night. Roman says that they will lose on Sunday and that is why the Hounds of Justice rule.

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns versus Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton
Bryan and Rollins start things off and Rollins with punches and the referee warns him. Rollins with an Irish whip and Bryan flips over and Bryan hits the flying clothesline. Bryan with kicks to the chest and Kane is tagged in. Bryan with a snap mare and Kane with a drop kick for a near fall. Kane with a suplex for a near fall.

Ambrose tags in and he punches Kane but Kane with a big boot to Ambrose. Orton tags in and he kicks Ambrose. Orton with punches and head butts in the corner followed by a European uppercut. Orton with head butts and a clothesline in the corner. Orton with a suplex and Bryan is tagged in. Bryan with kicks to the chest followed by a front face lock.

Reigns tags in and he punches Bryan. Reigns with a slam and he gets a near fall. Rollins tags in and he kicks Bryan in the chest. Rollins with elbows to the head. Rollins sends Bryan into the turnbuckles and Ambrose tags back in and he punches Bryan. Ambrose with a snap elbow drop for a near fall. Ambrose with a boot to the abdomen and he applies a chin lock while trapping the legs and then he applies a Dragon sleeper.

Bryan with knees to escape and he punches Ambrose. Ambrose with a knee to the midsection but Bryan with a knee of his own. Orton tags in and he connects with two clothesline and then he goes after the Shield on the apron. Orton avoids a clothesline and he gives Ambrose a power slam. Rollins tries to interfere and he gets a power slam for his troubles.

Orton sends Ambrose to the apron for the IEDDT but he kicks Rollins and he tries for a double IEDDT but Ambrose escapes and he drops Orton on the top rope and then Rollins with an enzuigiri and Ambrose gets a near fall.

We are back and Ambrose with a reverse chin lock. Orton with a punch but Ambrose with a knee and short arm clothesline for a near fall. Ambrose works on the fingers and then he rakes the face. Reigns tags in and he connects with head butts and then he kicks Orton. Orton punches Reigns but Reigns with a knee and he gets Orton on his shoulders but Randy escapes and he hits a back breaker and both men are down.

Reigns misses a shoulder in the corner and he hits the post. Ambrose and Kane tag in and Kane with punches. Kane sends Ambrose into the turnbuckles and then he hits a power slam for a near fall. Kane with an Irish whip and clothesline into the corner. Kane does it again and he adds the side slam for a near fall. Kane goes up top but he misses the clothesline. Ambrose with a running drop kick but Bryan tags in and hits a missile drop kick that sends Ambrose into his corner. Rollins tags in and goes for a springboard move but Bryan with a drop kick to stop Rollins.

Bryan with a drop kick that knocks Reigns off the apron and then Bryan with a suicide dive onto Rollins and Reigns. Bryan with the running drop kick into the corner and then he hits another one on Rollins for a near fall.

Bryan with kicks to the chest and he sets for the round kick but he sees Reigns trying to interfere so he kicks Roman in the head. Bryan with the round kick to Rollins and Daniel gets a near fall. Bryan goes up top for the diving head butt but Reigns distracts the referee and Ambrose grabs Bryan. Bryan with an elbow to Ambrose and then Bryan misses the diving head butt and Rollins gets a near fall.

Kane grabs Ambrose and sends him to the floor. Reigns sends Kane over the top rope to the floor. Orton tries for an RKO but Reigns escapes and he spears Orton. Kane sends Reigns and Ambrose into the Garcia Cubicle. Rollins with a Buckle Bomb and then he goes up top but Kane pushes Rollins off into an RKO and then Bryan applies the No Lock and Rollins taps out.

Winners: Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton

ShockYa: Wrestling obviously takes a lot out of you physically, but its action exists in a longer form. The action in movies can be very intense, but it’s often shot in bits and pieces. How did you take to that change — was it hard to keep the adrenaline up?

Randy Orton: It was two completely different things for me. The stuntmen loved me because I was wanting to do everything. There were only a couple stunts that I wasn’t allowed to do myself. Short little takes are how a lot of directors would piece a scene together — and spend days and weeks on a fight scene. Roel Reiné, our director, spent five hours on a fight scene where I fight two cops. It’s not the longest fight scene — it’s about a minute or a minute-and-a-half (in the movie). It’s really cool. Even though it’s take after take, we shot for a long time. That was all we did that day. As a matter of fact, I think that was our first day. Roel knew that beating up the stuntmen and kicking them in the face would probably be a little easier for me, and less stressful (laughing), than any of the real heavy acting stuff. So he was warming me up. But I was a lot more dressed than I am when I’m working in the WWE. There are lots of differences. Usually I’m wearing my little tights out there, and on the movie I’m dressed (with pads). And I had the EMT outfit, which also felt really awkward. But I had to feel like an EMT. The few hours of acting classes that I was able to get under my belt before this movie definitely helped me try to get as comfortable as I could playing the character I was playing.

ShockYa: You mentioned jokingly the stress of some of the bigger acting scenes. But when you’re wrestling there is definitely an element of performance — it’s just that you’re playing big dramatic moments to a crowd, in the round. How do you take that experience and shrink it down to acting for the camera?

RO: Like you said, in the WWE ring, with viewers at home, I’m working toward five, six or sometimes even seven cameras at a time, where I know that at any time one of those cameras could pick me up. I’m also working to the people that are sitting up in the rafters — well, there’s no such thing as a cheap seat, but I’ll say cheap seat for now — because I want them to see every little thing I’m doing. So things in the ring are definitely bigger, so that you can see them. But the movie world is completely different, and you have to hone things down because when that camera is so tight on you and so intimate and right up in your face, it’s going to catch every little thing that you give it, and it’s very easy to overdo it. I think the best advice I got is that acting isn’t acting — you just want to just be, you want to be just real, be in the moment and react. If I’m in there with someone like (costar) Brian Markinson, who’s been around and knows the ropes, I need to be able to react off of him. But I was surrounded by great actors, and even some of the lesser known actors in the film were fantastic for me to work with. They were light years ahead of me as far as knowing what to do in that world. If they were in a WWE ring they’d be lost and yeah, I’d have to help them, but here I needed their help. I approached it like that, very humble, and just said, “Hey guys, I’m a first-timer, so please help me.” And of course they want the movie to be as good as possible.

ShockYa: You come from a wrestling family, so was it always a foregone conclusion that you were going to go into wrestling?

RO: Yeah, basically I grew up in the business. I didn’t see myself following in my father’s footsteps, but everyone around me did, you know? When I was at school that was a common question, or assumption. The older I got, the more people would ask. But I just never had the confidence in myself to believe that I could be capable of doing something like that. These guys that my dad brought around the house when I was young were just larger-than-life, they were giants. When you have Andre the Giant sitting at your dinner table, who is a real giant, it’s almost like a fantasy land. If you grow up as a wrestling fan like I did, and like all of us did in the WWE locker room, it’s cool to actually have those memories — where as a fan I actually got to eat dinner with these guys. Bret Hart babysat me while my father went and wrestled when I was on the road with him. These guys treated me like family. But no, I never saw myself following in my father’s footsteps. It wasn’t until I went into the Marine Corps when I was 19, or 18, rather, and I realized that wasn’t for me. I got a bad conduct discharge, was at home for a few months in late ’99 and basically said, “Dad, I want to give wrestling a shot. I sure as hell don’t wanna go to college and the Marine Corps wasn’t for me. And I need to make some money, so let’s see if I can do it.” He made a few phone calls, and luckily still had some connections. Guys like Jack Lanza, Pat Patterson, Bruce Pritchard, Tom Pritchard — those guys all helped me get a tryout. And I’d never been in the ring, so they went on a lot of faith and signed me and thought that they could help mold me into a WWE superstar. And now I’m glad they did, because that was a big turning point in my life.

ShockYa: Are you at a point now in your career where this film feels like a similar pivot point?

RO: Yeah, kind of like Dwayne Johnson, and the route he’s gone? He’s still around the wrestling world and that’s his first love but the moneymaker for him now is movies and that’s where his heart lies now. I would love for that to happen, I would love for that to happen. But as an actor can you compare me with the Rock? Hell no, hell no. I have a long way to go, and I know that. It’s one thing at a time, and we’ll see how this movie does. And I need some more acting classes before any other movies. I know that. But I want to see how this movie does and see if people think I have that potential.

ShockYa: Tell me a little bit about the tattoos — are you a guy that gets little pieces that relate to specific events, or do you just have the big (sleeves)?

RO: Yes and no. When I first started getting them I was just a kid that wanted a tattoo. I wish I could tell you that they all meant something. Later on, I think it was in 2008, when my daughter was born and I also had a tough injury that put me out (of wrestling) for five months, I had some time there to get some tribal stuff to cover up the United States Marine Corps. I had some stuff that I had to fix tattoo-wise, and had the time to get it done. When you’re on the road you can’t really get them done and expect them to heal properly because you’re banging and beating on them and that’s not good for a tattoo to heal. So it was then that I got the majority of these sleeves that I have now done, and it was basically just filling in the blanks in between all the tribal that I’d gotten early on. And all the stuff that I got in ’08 made sense, there were definitely reasons for it. That was my main goal — to be happy with the tattoos that I’d started getting when I was 18 and wasn’t necessarily that happy with then.

Source

Kane versus Dean Ambrose in a Non Title Match
Ambrose goes to the floor and Rollins and Reigns attack Kane.

Winner: Kane (by disqualification)

After the match, Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan come out to stop Rollins and Reigns.

Backstage: Bryan complained that the RKO was intentional. Orton said it was and pointed to the dropkick. Kane got in Bryan’s face and told him to back off. Kane said they have matches against Shield members and the last thing they need to do is fight each other. They kept bickering.

Vickie Guerrero showed up and booked Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton for the WWE Tag Titles at Payback. Kane acted stunned. Vickie explained that they won the match by DQ and deserve a title match. Vickie announced Kane would challenge Dean Ambrose for the U.S. Title at the pay-per-view. Kane said he always liked Vickie and then gave her a hug…

Randy Orton (with Daniel Bryan) versus Roman Reigns (with Seth Rollins)
They lock up and Reigns with a knee to the midsection followed by an elbow to the back of the neck. Reigns with punches but Orton with a kick and he sends Reigns into the turnbuckles and he punches him. Orton punches Reigns and hits a drop kick and gets a near fall. Orton runs his laces across the face and then he goes to the Garvin Stomp.

Orton with a leaping knee drop and he gets a near fall. Reigns rolls to the floor to regroup and he tries to punch Orton but Orton blocks it. Orton with punches and then he sends Reigns into the apron and then he hits a belly-to-back suplex on the ringside barrier.

They return to the ring and Orton gets a near fall. Orton with a boot to the midsection and then to the leg. Orton goes for another leaping knee drop but Reigns moves out of the way. Reigns kicks Orton. Reigns punches Orton but Orton with a Thesz Press. Orton goes to the turnbuckles and he punches Reigns. Orton with a head butt and for the first time a Samoan feels the worst of a head butt.

Reigns with an Irish whip but Orton with a boot to Reigns and then he connects with a forearm across the chest but Reigns with a forearm that knocks Orton off the turnbuckles and to the floor.

We are back and Reigns with a rear chin lock on Orton. Orton punches Reigns and he head butts Reigns. Reigns drops Orton on the top rope and Reigns with a flying clothesline for a near fall. Reigns punches Orton and he returns to the rear chin lock. Orton with a belly-to-back suplex and he escapes the chin lock.
Orton avoids a splash into the corner and Orton with two clotheslines and then he avoids a clothesline from Reigns and he hits a power slam. Rollins tries to interfere but Orton avoids it. Orton with a kick but Reigns gets Orton on his shoulders. Orton with a back breaker and Reigns goes to the apron.

Orton sets for the IEDDT and he hits it. Orton looks around and he twists to the mat for the RKO but Rollins attacks Bryan and he enters the ring. Rollins goes to the apron and then Orton tries for the IEDDT but Reigns pulls him to the floor. Bryan with a suicide dive and the referee calls for the bell.

No Contest

Daniel Bryan versus Seth Rollins
Bryan goes up top but Rollins crotches Bryan. Rollins goes to the turnbuckles and he tries for a superplex but Bryan escapes and he crotches Rollins. Bryan goes for a super belly-to-back suplex but Rollins is able to twist his hips and he gets a lateral press and both men are down. Reigns gets on the apron but Orton trips him. Rollins misses a splash into the corner and Bryan with an inside cradle for the three count.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

After the match, Bryan with a round kick to Rollins and Orton with an RKO.

So when I was presented with the opportunity to see 12 ROUNDS 2: RELOADED, not only a sequel to the okay action flick which starred WWE Champion John Cena, but a direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray follow-up, this time with Randy Orton in the lead role, every bone in my body told me that I should take the two hours I’d spend watching this and do something else. But I said, “What the hell…?” and went with it, willing to spend an afternoon giving 12 ROUNDS 2 a fair shot, and you know what…? My body was a bit off. I’m not saying 12 ROUNDS 2 is a fantastic flick, not by any means. It’s predictable and doesn’t stray much from conventions we’ve seen done much better elsewhere… plus, for an action-driven movie, its villain and his motivations are incredibly weak sauce, which really hurt the movie in establishing any sort of consequences for their hero. But it held my interest and entertained me a bit, and, furthermore, I was incredibly surprised by how well Randy Orton was able to command the screen when he was involved, which is quite a bit, making me curious to see what he might be capable of if given the ball for another feature film down the line, one that’s a little bit better overall.

His character Nick Malloy is a far departure from either the Legend Killer or Viper personas we’ve come to know throughout Orton’s in-ring career, with flashes of both personality and humor that we don’t often come to associate with the WWE Superstar. And, while I’ll admit to wanting to see Orton drop someone with an RKO in the middle of a fight sequence, I never once got the sense that I was watching a wrestler on-screen, which may be the best compliment I can pay to Orton’s work here. Orton was able to separate himself from his other profession for 12 ROUNDS 2, which allowed me to get into the film and become interested in the journey Nick Malloy would make during the course of the film. It wasn’t me watching Randy Orton trying to play Nick Malloy… it was Nick Malloy, who, once the credits began to roll, happened to be played by Randy Orton.
Therefore, I was quite interested in talking to Randy Orton about his preparation for the film and the difference in approach to acting from what he’s used to in the ring. Besides talking about 12 ROUNDS 2: RELOADED, I was able to get candid with Randy concerning his past feud with Mick Foley, his short-lived first reign as WWE Championship and some of the struggles faced by second- and third-generation talent trying to make a name for themselves in the wrestling industry. Enjoy.

Randy Orton – Hey, Billy.
The Infamous Billy The Kidd – Hey, Randy, how are you doing this morning?
Randy Orton – Yeah, pretty good, man. You?

The Kidd – Can’t complain.
Randy Orton – Cool, cool, cool.

The Kidd – I know we’re short on time, so let me get into the movie first, because then I want to talk a little bit of wrestling while we have the chance, too. So heading into 12 ROUNDS 2, you were slotted to do THE MARINE sequel first, and then things didn’t work out and you kind of moved into this. In transitioning from the ring to on screen, I want to ask your different approach to performance. When you’re in the ring, you have a character that you’re already performing, you have a persona that you’re already playing, but for a lot of it you’re working live, as opposed to off a script where you can have multiple takes. So was that kind of a departure for you, and can you talk a little bit about the different approach to making these two different characters come to life?
Randy Orton – Sure, sure. Well, you know for the past… over a decade, now, I’ve been working on the WWE character, and he’s evolved and changed into this person that I am now. To be honest it’s just me times ten out there, and it makes it that much easier. Doing the movie… I had done a little something before with Ed Harris and Amy Madigan in THAT’S WHAT I AM, the WWE film I had done prior, but that was nothing compared to this. I was practically in every scene of 12 ROUNDS 2. Going into this, I was very nervous, but after a week of rehearsal, after meeting the other men and women that I was going to be working with, I started to get more comfortable. On the first day of shooting, the director was awesome. He knew I’d probably be a little more comfortable with the physical stuff, so he had us film a fight scene the very first night. We spent probably six hours on that one fight scene. He didn’t have me jump right in and have the kissing scenes of the movie… He didn’t shoot those first, you know? [laughs] He didn’t do the hard stuff first. He did the easy stuff. He got to know me, I got to know him, and he kinda gave me tips… Really the director helped me out so much. Because I wasn’t ready to star in a feature film. I had about twenty hours of acting class under my belt that we had crammed in the week before when I flew up to Vancouver… So yeah I was nervous! When we started, it was like, “You know, it’s digital, it’s not like they’re running out of film. We can do as many takes as we want and it’s not going to cost an extra dime.” Boom. So yeah, take after take… Sometimes you wouldn’t need take after take. It would be like Monday Night Raw, and you’d hit it in one take, but you’d still want another one. So you just got used to doing take after take, and if you knew that if you flubbed a line or messed up a take, you just keep going, because… The editing process… It’s magical. They can change that movie into anything they want to change it into. It could be completely different from the script by the time it hits the theatres or it’s out on DVD. It’s amazing, the process. But yes. Very nervous at first. Very different from being in the ring.

The Kidd – Well the same thing applies when you’re talking about action. When you’re going into a film, you have fight choreography, and hitting your mark and kind of the space of the frame… So is that also a very different experience for you, because in the ring, yeah, you can plan some stuff in advance, but a lot of it is playing off the feel of the crowd, and how the match is building and the psychology of it… So in terms of that, was that also something you had to come to grips with and get used to?
Randy Orton – Yeah, definitely. It was all, like you said, you wouldn’t just go out and feel the crowd and live in the moment. You can’t do that. You’ve got about 30 people watching you, but it’s not an audience, it’s not your fans. It’s the cameramen, the gaffers, this guy, that guy. Props are over there, waiting to jump up at any second because something got scratched and they need to polish it up. It’s crazy. But it’s also a lot more… I’d almost be willing to say less stressful. Monday Night Raw, and Friday Night Smackdown… that can get a little bit stressful. That live element to that show on Monday nights or out on pay-per-view, it really puts a lot of tension in the air. It usually makes for a couple of pretty decent hours of TV, but on the movie set, everything is a lot more… calm, I’ve found. Yeah, you’ve gotta hit your mark, and you’ve gotta be there, and when they want you there, you’ve gotta be there. I’m not the most punctual person in the world and that when that director wanted me there, i was there 15 minutes early. But it was a great experience for it. It was the only movie I ever did, I took away a lot, and I’ll never forget that experience.

The Kidd – Let me ask you about early in your in-ring career. For me, the Legend Killer stuff was some of your best work, especially in building an establishing this character, and that’s kind of where you set yourself up as this top-flight heel, and I think the Foley stuff really had a lot to do with it. So can you talk a little bit about working with Mick and the interaction with him, and the ideas he may have brought to the table as far as helping Randy Orton become a player in the industry?
Randy Orton – Yeah, sure, sure… Mick had a huge and very intricate part… It’s funny you bring this up because we were just in Edmonton… Alberta, Canada… And that is where I faced Mick in that legendary Backlash anything-goes match where I landed in thumbtacks, and he was… his upper arm looked like hamburger meat… we beat the crap out of each other. Probably the favorite match of my career, and the one that propelled me into the fans eyes as far as, “Okay, this kid can go. He’s willing to get dirty.” I landed on thumbtacks for those people in Edmonton, and it was with Mick. I remember in that program, from the beginning to the end, I noticed a huge change in how the fans perceived me. Being out there with Mick Foley, doing what I did to Mick Foley… It just propelled me. I was never going to be anything less than a top guy in the fans eyes after what I had done to Mick Foley. I was really proud of that. Mick knows that’s my favorite match to this date, and he takes a lot of pride in that as well.

The Kidd – The other thing that really stood out to me, as you continued to build, especially in the fans eyes, it’s kind of a turning point, or at least a stick kind of in your career. It was kind of the evolution turn, where you’re 24 years old, you win the title, it seems like the WWE is going to push somebody new into the main event, and have this fresh program with somebody completely different. And then the Evolution turn happened and you dropped the belt a month later to Triple H, and it seemed like the fans had this kind of collective sigh, as in, “Here we go again, they’re cutting the legs off this guy.” So you’re privy to the storylines as they go in advance, but was there a part of you that was like, “Hey, maybe this isn’t good long term for this character if we’ve worked this long to establish him”?
Randy Orton – Well, that was a long time ago. Close to a decade ago. But I remember back then, and I felt, with that title… Man. I was 24, youngest champ in history. There’s a reason they don’t come that young and that’s because you can’t take the responsibility. And I’m not saying I couldn’t take it, but I think that, for where I was in my career, talent-wise, maturity level, all that stuff, I probably wasn’t ready. I think there were probably a lot of variables that went into the decision behind me becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion in history. I wouldn’t doubt that the fella who had that title before me leaving the company had something to do with me taking that title off of him… If you know who I’m talking about. But he’s back now and everything’s peachy. Yeah, but I don’t think that I was ready… and even me saying that now, that hesitation was probably there back then, and they wanted to give me a taste to see what it was like, and they had to put that title back in a veteran’s hands so that they could run with it… You know, it’s Triple H, so immediately the internet wrestling community jumps on his butt, and, “He’s holding him down,” “He’s not giving him a chance…” But you know, you look at Triple H, love him or hate him, he goes out there and he knows what he’s doing and he does a very good job at it. It’s just… the fact that he’s married to the Boss’ daughter, and that he’s working up there in the office, it gives people bullets to use against him. It gives them ammo to go, “Oh, he’s back there working backstage just to put his name on the list.” “He can make sure he’s in the main event.” “He can close the pay-per-view with Brock Lesnar in a cage. No… He deserves it. It’s easy for him to take the flack, because of the position he’s in, but he’s worked hard for that position, so I think he deserves every amount of his success that he’s had thus far.

The Kidd – I wanted to ask you, because you have a really unique perspective on second and third generation superstars coming in the industry, and there’s a lot of them that are coming up right now. You’re seeing it now with Joe Hennig and Curtis Axel. Is it kind of a no-win situation to have your legacy attached to somebody else who is established while also trying to create something new for yourself? Is it difficult to break out of that shadow to do something new? Or is there this temptation to go, “Let’s attach them to who they came from and try to build them that way.” You were able to break out of that, but can you see the difficulty in other personalities trying to then become something new on their own?
Randy Orton – Well yeah, you’ve got Dusty Rhodes and his son Cody… Million Dollar Man and his son Ted, and I know those two pretty well. Joe Hennig, I know him pretty well as well, but I haven’t worked with him in the regard of the other two I just spoke about… But yeah it’s hard. If you look at those guys’ dads… My father, he was in the business. He was never Hulk Hogan. He was always there making Hulk Hogan look good, you can betcha, but as far as living up to a father who was a ten time world champion and a Royal Rumble winner, that wasn’t the case for me. People remember my father and respect him, but I didn’t think like I had to be Cowboy Bob Orton’s son. That wasn’t how I came in. Luckily they went with my name. They didn’t try to call me Michael McGillicutty or whatever. That was brutal. They tried to go the alternate way with Joe, but they went almost too far on the other side of the spectrum. They gave him the funny name, and went completely away from his father and everything. I think, in his case, his father… Rest in peace, of course… He’s gone. And his name and his memory, you know? To be named Curtis Axel out of respect for his father and his grandfather, Larry “The Axe,” like that? I think that’s awesome. I think that if anyone can make Curtis make it, it’s going to be Paul Heyman. The company is behind him right now. So these next few weeks will dictate where Curtis heads in this company. I think it’ll be up to the top. I really do.

Source

We begin with MizTV and Miz welcomes us to this week’s edition. He says that his guests came within a fraction of a second of becoming the first team to beat the Shield in a six man tag match. After the match, they had issues. Miz brings out Randy Orton first. Out next are Daniel Bryan and Kane. Daniel’s arm is bandaged due to an injury suffered on Monday night against Ryback.

Miz points out that Daniel was pinned on Monday night and he brings up the weak link discussions. Daniel interrupts and says that before Miz stirs things up, he has something to say. He has had a lot of time to thing and he knows that Randy did not intend to hit him. Randy congratulates Daniel for figuring this out. Daniel says that Kane is the best tag team partner and Kane was helping him.

Kane asks if Daniel is done with this weak link stuff.

Miz reminds Daniel of what he did at the end of Smackdown, taking care of all three members of the Shield. Miz asks Daniel if he feels that he is getting the respect that he deserves. Daniel says sometimes.

Miz asks Daniel if sometimes he feels like a goat-faced, vegan troll.

Orton tells Miz to be careful because the kid’s head is messed up.

Daniel says that his head is not messed up. Kane says it is messed up.

Is it messed up because he wants to be respected.

Kane tells Daniel that everyone respects him.

Randy says that he respects Daniel less and less the more he complains about being the weak link.

Kane says that they had the match won . . . Daniel says that it was because he got caught because of Randy getting in his way.

Miz asks Randy about being blamed for the loss. Kane tells Randy not to answer him.

Daniel says that Kane is supposed to have his back and Kane says that he has always had his back. Kane says that he is getting tired of Daniel not trusting him.

Daniel asks Kane how many times he has been left in the ring alone by The Shield. Does Kane come to help him when he is in trouble? Daniel reminds Kane that he was forced to be his tag team partner. Daniel says that if Kane had anyone else as his tag team partner, he would be out of here.

Kane says that he has had enough and leaves the ring and walks to the back.

Miz throws out a few reallys at Daniel and he asks if we have seen a tag team break up on MizTV.

Daniel says that everyone is going to blame this on him. Daniel starts ‘No-ing’ and …

Teddy Long comes out and he has an idea. Teddy says that Daniel sounds like a man who has a lot to prove. Teddy is going to give Daniel another chance. Daniel will face Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins tonight. Since Kane does not want to have anything to do with Daniel, he has no choice but to pair him up with Randy Orton.

Backstage: Daniel Bryan is getting ready for the tag match later tonight and Randy Orton enters and he asks Daniel if he knew that Kane had to be taken to the medical room for treatment. Randy wants Daniel to put his personal problems aside and he wants them to beat the Shield.

Daniel says that he does not have any problems. Tonight is the night that he takes care of the Shield and he tells Randy to stay out of his way.

Randy says that he does not like partners and he does not like Daniel.

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins versus Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan
Rollins and Bryan start things off and Bryan with punches to Seth. Bryan with a side head lock and a flying kick when Rollins tries for a Thesz Press. Bryan with kicks and he sets for the surfboard but he rakes the face and instead of going for the surfboard he drives Rollins’ knees into the mat. Bryan with a kick and wrist lock. Bryan works on the arm and shoulder but refuses to tag in Orton.

Bryan with knees to the back while working on the arm and he stands on the arm and gets a near fall. Bryan with a hammer lock but Rollins with an elbow and punch. Bryan with a drop kick and a near fall. Reigns tags in and he punches Bryan. Reigns chokes Bryan in the corner. Reigns with a head butt.

Rollins tags in and he kicks Bryan in the chest. Reigns tags back in and Rollins with an Irish whip and Reigns sends Rollins into the corner for a splash. Rollins send Bryan to Reigns for a clothesline and a near fall. Reigns with a reverse chin lock. Bryan with punches but Reigns with a knee and punches followed by kicks.

Bryan with a drop toe hold that sends Reigns into the turnbuckles. Bryan makes the tag to Orotn and Rollins tags in. Orton with clotheslines and then he ducks a clothesline and hits a power slam. Orton kicks Reigns to the floor and then Orton with the IEDDT on Rollins. Orton looks around and he twists to the mat for the RKO but Reigns pulls Rollins to the floor and we go to commercial.

We are back and Reigns and Rollins make a wish on Orton. Reigns chokes Orton in the ropes. We see some footage during the commercial break when Reigns hits a Superman punch and enzuigiri. Back to the action for those of us who watch on television, Reigns with a reverse chin lock. Orton with elbows and a belly-to-back suplex and both men are down.

Rollins tags in and he keeps Orton from making the tag and he kicks Randy and gets him closer to his corner. Reigns tags back in and he connects with a head butt and he kicks Orton in the chest. Rollins tags back in and they send Orton into the corner but Orton with boots to Rollins and then he avoids a Reigns charge into the corner and Reigns hits the ring post. Orton clotheslines Rollins and he tags in Bryan.

Bryan with a double missile drop kick and then he kicks Reigns and Rollins in the chest as he alternates. Bryan with a kick to the head of Reigns and then he connects with a kick to Rollins. Bryan gets a near fall and then he kicks Rollins in the corner. Bryan flips out of the corner and he hits a German suplex and Rollins goes to the floor. Bryan with a suicide dive onto Rollins and Reigns.

Bryan sends Rollins back into the ring and Bryan goes up top for the diving head butt and he connects. Bryan gets a near fall and Reigns breaks up the cover. Orton hits an RKO on Reigns but Rollins with shoulders to Orton. Bryan tries for the running drop kick into the corner but he accidentally hits Orton.

Bryan with the No Lock but Ambrose breaks up the hold and the referee calls for the bell.

Winners: Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton (by disqualification)

After the match: Ambrose holds Bryan for Rollins but Bryan gets his boot up. Bryan elbows Ambrose to the flor and then he sends Rollins over the top rope with a back drop onto Reigns.

Orton gives Bryan an RKO.