10 Most Controversial Randy Orton WWE Backstage Stories

7. He Has A Lot Of Influence

WWE.com

As one of the biggest stars in WWE for the past decade, Orton is said to have a lot of pull backstage and as such a positive or negative word from Randy Orton can have serious career implications for people lower down the card. No-one felt this harder than rising star Mr. Kennedy.

Kennedy, who many saw as a future main-eventer, was part of a ten-man tag in the main event of Raw, in 2009 when he hit a back suplex on Orton that was allegedly a lot less safer than it could and should have been. As a result, Orton and Kennedy had heated words backstage and four days later, Mr. Kennedy was released from his WWE contract. Kennedy claims that while Randy Orton was not the reason he was fired, the incident may have been the final straw.

This also wasn’t the only example of in-ring work affecting someone’s push. At one point, Kofi Kingston’s feud with Orton seemed set to elevate him past his perpetual mid-card status, but after he wasn’t where was supposed to be in a match, Orton lost it, shouting “STUPID! STUPID!”

Kofi’s push was abruptly cancelled and he’s been treading water ever since.