Bob Orton Jr. Talks Why Randy Orton Started Riding A Bus To Shows
WWE Hall of Famer Bob Orton, Jr. was a recent guest on Hannibal TV to conduct a career perspective interview. Orton discussed a number of topics, including who came up with the "Cowboy" gimmick, working with Bill Watts for Mid-South Wrestling, getting in a fight with Dick Slater, referring Hulk Hogan to Hiro Matsuda, and more.
Orton was asked if groupies were worse either then or now, and he stated that he does not know too much about what is going on now to answer that.
He did state that many wrestlers fly and get transported, which reduces their opportunities to interact with fans. Orton added that Randy rides a bus to and from shows, and explained why he gets this kind of luxury compared to other wrestlers.
"Randy has his bus, so he never really goes anywhere except, you know, the bus," Orton said. "I think a few guys have that [privilege]. Randy got the bus so he wouldn't get in any situations that weren't safe. He's got his bus, he's got a little kitchen, and you know, he's got his food. If he wants to have a beer or something, he does it on the bus. It's just a safe way to travel."
Over the years, Orton has been known for having a bad temper on occasions, with people such as Ken Anderson recalling stories of Orton making a scene in restaurants when he did not get what he wanted, as well as shooting bottle rockets outside the car window to civilians.
Last year, Orton was a part of a heated Twitter exchange stemming from Rip Rogers making a joke out of a repetitive sequence that he feel happens in indie wrestling. Orton also had an exchange with Bully Ray over the "#Dive" tweet, which Bully revealed during an episode of Busted Open Radio that the tweet had nothing to do with Rogers or Orton's heat with indie wrestlers.
Despite the issues he had with the indie crowd last year, Randy has been able to re-establish himself as a top name, recently having a big win at Hell in a Cell against Jeff Hardy.
If any portion of these quotes are used, please credit Hannibal TV with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.