WWE NXT Star Takes Inspiration From Randy Orton Despite Not Initially Being A Fan

"WWE NXT" star Myles Borne has embraced the comparisons often raised between him and former WWE Champion Randy Orton. The same cannot be said about Orton himself, at least in the eyes of a much younger Borne.

During an interview with "No-Contest Wrestling," Borne revealed that his childhood self strongly disapproved of Orton due to his on-screen work in WWE. Once he realized that Orton was simply portraying a villainous character, though, his stance changed.

"It's funny, at first, not understanding how things work, I didn't like Randy at first," Borne said. "He was the bad guy. He was mean. So I would watch it on TV, then I'd get mad, pull the video game up, and I'd take John Cena and I'd beat him. I'm trying to get payback. But as I got older, once I started learning about how this works, I was like, 'Wow.' At the age of like six, seven, or eight, this guy had me believing that he was this bad bad dude and John Cena was the superhero. That's when it clicked. I was like, wow, these guys are so good at what they do that I didn't even understand it, but I felt something. So I started gradually gravitating towards a Randy Orton fan. I like the way he moved; his whole vibe I like."

While Borne grew up in the 2000s, Orton cemented himself as a cocky heel in WWE, so much so that he dubbed himself the "Legend Killer." Under this moniker, Orton took down WWE legends such as Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley. By 2007, Orton, once again a heel, had evolved into "The Viper," a character that found joy in slithering around and dropping his opponents with RKOs.

Fast forward to 2023, Orton returned to WWE programming as a beloved veteran. According to Borne, it was after this that he and Orton personally met, with the two bonding over their similarities, which also includes previous back surgery.

Equipped with two-decades of experience in WWE, Orton additionally offered Borne some advice. "Learning from him, I started, soaking in everything that he was telling me," Borne said. "'This is a long career. You got to protect yourself.' The way that he wrestled, to have that long of a dominating career, I was like, okay, I want to follow that blueprint. So I started picking some things here and there to try to advance my career very fast. But now, I'm trying to create my own path. So slowly but surely, I'm figuring out who I am. But yeah, Randy was kind of the foundational block that I stuck on to to at least help me get through that door and navigate in the ring for the first few years."

Due to their parallel body styles, Borne further noted that he used Orton as study material for improving his own in-ring work. Borne specifically paid attention to the way he wrestled and moved in the ring, which resulted in him adopting some of Orton's moves into his own arsenal. 

Currently, Borne reigns as the NXT North American Champion, having dethroned Ethan Page on "NXT" in February. Meanwhile, Orton is rebounding from a WrestleMania 42 main event loss to his long-time friend and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "No-Contest Wrestling" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.