Alright, so I got thinking the other day about Randy Orton. You know, the Viper, Legend Killer, all that. Huge star for ages. And then I thought about NXT, how it blew up and became its own thing. Did Orton ever actually go down there and mix it up with the NXT guys on their show?
So, I figured I’d spend a bit of time looking into it. Fired up my laptop, opened a few tabs. My usual routine when I get curious about wrestling history stuff.
My Search Process
First off, I just started searching generally. Typed in things like “Randy Orton NXT matches”, “Orton WWE NXT appearances”, that kind of stuff. You get a lot of results, naturally. News articles, fan discussions, videos.
I started clicking through, trying to piece together a timeline. It became pretty clear early on that Orton wasn’t like, say, Finn Bálor or Kevin Owens who had significant runs as NXT superstars based in NXT. Orton was already a top dog on Raw or SmackDown when NXT really took off with its black-and-gold era.
But, wrestlers cross over sometimes, right? Especially big names making special appearances. So I kept digging.
- Checked some wrestling databases I sometimes use. They’re usually pretty good for match histories.
- Scrolled through forum threads where fans debated this exact thing. Sometimes you find hidden gems there.
- Tried searching specific dates or eras when Orton might have popped up.
What I Found (or Didn’t Find Much Of)
Okay, here’s the thing. Finding actual matches where Randy Orton wrestled on an NXT-branded show against someone who was primarily an NXT roster member at that specific time was harder than I thought. It wasn’t a long list.
He definitely appeared on NXT programming. I remember seeing clips and reading reports.
Key Interactions & Appearances:
- There was that time more recently, I think late 2023, where he showed up on NXT. He had that confrontation, signed a contract or something, and got involved with Carmelo Hayes. That definitely happened on the NXT show. So, Carmelo Hayes is one name you can link to an Orton appearance in NXT.
- Before that? It gets fuzzy. He’s interacted with NXT guys called up to the main roster, for sure. Think back to his feuds over the years; former NXT champs often ended up in his path on Raw or SmackDown. But that’s not really wrestling in NXT.
- There were periods, like when NXT talent invaded the main roster shows (Survivor Series buildups, etc.), where Orton definitely fought against NXT guys, but usually on Raw or SmackDown turf, not necessarily on the weekly NXT show itself. People like Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle (before they teamed), Keith Lee – they crossed paths with Orton, but often after they were transitioning or during brand warfare stuff.
Wrapping Up My Search
So, after poking around for a while, the main takeaway was Orton didn’t really have a list of NXT opponents from matches held on NXT TV like some other main roster stars might have had in brief appearances. His most prominent recent interaction on the actual NXT show involved Carmelo Hayes.
It’s funny, you go looking for something specific, thinking there’ll be this clear list, and you end up realizing it’s more complicated. Lots of interactions around NXT, but not much directly in it in terms of matches for a long time. Just goes to show how separate the brands were kept for a while, I guess, despite the crossovers. Anyway, that was my little dive into the records. Interesting stuff.
