WWE legend John Cena retired last December, and fellow WWE superstar AJ Styles’ career with the promotion might be up Saturday after his “career threatening” match against Gunther at Royal Rumble.
Another WWE icon, Randy Orton, is still wrestling on the main roster since arriving on the big stage in 2002. The 45-year-old is still going strong, but he spoke about what stepping away might look like down the road in a conversation with Jordan Mendoza of USA Today. In essence, Orton doesn’t see himself having a retirement tour with a definitive end date, a la Cena.
To be clear, Orton isn’t going anywhere, telling Mendoza: “I still got a lot more to give in the ring.”
“Even though you might think that time’s approaching and I should be thinking about it, that’s not really my style,” Orton said.
He added: “I don’t know that I’d want a definitive end date. I’d like to leave that door open. There’s no way I’m going to sit here now and go, ‘Oh, this is how I want to end my career.’ That’s Cena. That’s another instance where me and him differ. He’s much more well planned than I am.”
Orton has been with WWE for just about his entire professional career. He briefly made his debut for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW) in 2000 before signing a deal with WWE that same year and training with Ohio Valley Wrestling.
The son of former WWF star “Cowboy” Bob Orton and grandson of former professional wrestling champion Bob Orton Sr. has now spent a quarter-century with WWE, and he sees himself as a lifer even after he’s done in the ring.
“I don’t see, really, me ever leaving the WWE,” Orton said. “Sticking with the WWE even after I’m done with the in-ring competition, that’ll probably be the way it goes down for me.”
For now, though, the 10-time WWE champion and four-time World Heavyweight champion will compete in this year’s Royal Rumble on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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