Randy Orton is one of the best WWE performers from recent times (Credit: WWE))
Randy Orton is one of the most well-known faces in the WWE circles. However, it seems that he may not be associated with the company for long.
Earlier this year a new rival promotion popped up, All Elite Wrestling, or AEW. So the big question is, will we see a Randy Orton AEW athlete moniker soon?
Some well-known WWE wrestlers, who have defected include Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes and many more. Now, it is rumoured that Randy Orton may also join this list (h/t Forbes)
Orton’s exit was hinted at when he was a no-show on Raw recently. It was worth noting that ‘The Viper’ was slated as one of the top picks on Night 2 of the WWE Draft.
Admittedly, the WWE is in desperate need of some serious star power. Even newer stars have been unable to light it up since joining the wrestling promotion.
The tedious broadcast could have been pepped up with an appearance from Randy Orton. Unfortunately, that never transpired on Monday night and The Viper was noticeably absent.
Of course, this was made even more interesting when Orton put up a strange Instagram post. The former WWE world champion teased a possible Randy Orton AEW jump.
In the post Orton was spotted standing next to an elevator with the word “ELITE” prominently featured.
“Tick tock tick tock [sic],” read his post, prompting suggestions that Randy Orton was counting down the days left on his contract.
Now, this does beg the question, what is the AEW and what is so special about it? Back in late 2018, a number of trademarks were filed in Florida for the launch of All Elite Wrestling.
For the uninitiated, the AEW is an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2019.
It was the brainchild of Pakistani entrepreneurs Shahid Khan and his son Tony. In fact, Tony is the promotion’s lead investor, and Shahid is the founder, president and CEO of the company.
As mentioned before, Professional wrestlers Cody Rhodes, Matt and Nick Jackson, became the promotion’s first contracted talents.
It is also worth noting that they are not only in-ring performers but also executive vice presidents. Also joining them is Kenny Omega, fellow professional wrestler and co-founder of their group, The Elite.
Orton is a veteran in the ring and would add more star power to the AEW. The new promotion has added wrestlers such as Jon Moxley and Omega, but someone like ‘The Viper’ would be an A-list addition to the.
The WWE superstar is still one of the top draws in the ring and it could give a little boost to his career too. Orton doesn’t feature much in the championship bouts regularly but a switch to AEW could change all that.
‘The Apex Predator’ is still in fine shape and having another heel on the roster could add more buzz around the new promotion, which would be a win-win for all parties.