AEW's Matt Hardy Believes This WWE Star Is A Future First-Ballot Hall Of Famer

Matt Hardy has had a career that many fans believe is Hall of Fame-worthy. During a recent episode of his "Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, Hardy praised Randy Orton, and expressed why he believes The Viper is "a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer." According to Hardy, there's no doubt in his mind that Orton is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

"Because he's a guy who's just special, who's sold tickets, who has had people care about him, who has evoked emotion, and he's been very consistent," Hardy explained. "He goes out and produces these great matches, and he tells these great stories, over and over again, and at the end of the day, after you watch a Randy Orton match, you remember how you felt." Orton underwent surgery to fuse his lower back after suffering an injury in May 2022. Hardy also commented on the marvel of Orton's surgery. According to Hardy, the injury the "Apex Predator" suffered would likely have ended a career 15-20 years ago, but due to the progress in medical technology, that isn't the case today. 

While he's only just returned, Orton has already made it clear that he intends to continue his career as a pro wrestler for years to come. In light of this, Hardy praised his former colleague. "It's one of these things too, Randy's gonna work smart, I can promise you that. He's going to be a performer first and foremost, more than anything else, I top my cap to him when it comes to that," Hardy said.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.