Randy Orton: Ciampa Is A ‘Big Fish’ In NXT’s ‘Small Pond’
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One of the more notable feuds isn’t wrestling isn’t taking place on RAW, SmackDown, or NXT. It’s instead taking place over Twitter, pitting NXT mainstay Tommaso Ciampa against WWE legend Randy Orton. The Viper and the Psycho Killer have argued about #legslaps and match interest, but Randy feels he’s trying to get a more important point across to his fellow wrestling. Speaking with CBS Sports, Randy thinks that Ciampa has all the skills required to step up to what he still feels is the main roster.
With the kind of hustle Tommaso has shown he has, I think he’s perfectly capable. I think he’s a big fish in a relatively small pond. I don’t mean that as a knock, to be clear. But I want to see him try to become a big fish in a bigger pond. I would like to see him under the pressure to have something like the greatest wrestling match ever. And I would love to work with him.
Speaking more broadly on NXT and the type of wrestling it promotes, Orton says that the more high impact matches take a toll that will have consequences down the road for many talents.
If you’re a talent and you’ve made it as far as NXT, which is very close to the top of the mountain … if you think that you have to go out there and get powerbombed on the apron after neck surgery, or if you think you have to go out there and do these dives and flips bell to bell just because the fans want to see half a dozen near-death experiences? I feel sorry for you because you’re not going to reap the benefits of what this business offers.
While Orton clearly isn’t a fan of superkick parties, are his statements a case of his age clouding his ability to enjoy the newest evolution of wrestling? Or will we see the wisdom of his words years down the line? All this writer knows is that he’d also love to see Orton and Ciampa settle their differences in the squared circle.
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