NXT commentator Booker T believes WWE made the right call by announcing Randy Orton for this weekend’s Survivor Series 2023 pay-per-view event, rather than keeping him as a surprise.
On this week’s episode of RAW, Cody Rhodes revealed that Orton will be joining himself, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn to face the Judgment Day & Drew McIntyre inside WarGames.
On a recent episode of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, Booker T said that keeping Orton a secret would be difficult and that WWE can now promote the Viper’s return. He said,
“You know, a surprise would’ve been great, but I’m sure someone would’ve broken on Twitter that Randy Orton has been spotted in Chicago. I’m sure of that. There’s no way around that. So these days, trying to surprise someone, you might just be shooting yourself in the foot. Everybody [should] know that Randy Orton is gonna be there so they could tune in and buy it more than anything. More importantly, you want the Randy Orton fans to know he’s going to be there.”
It has been reported that WWE’s decision to announce Orton ahead of the show was to ensure that fans did not expect CM Punk at Survivor Series 2023.
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WWE fans were thrilled when it was announced that Randy Orton would be making his return at Survivor Series 2023. However, some may have questioned why WWE decided to reveal his appearance ahead of time instead of keeping it as a surprise. NXT commentator Booker T believes that WWE made the right call by announcing Orton’s return and not keeping it a secret.
On a recent episode of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, Booker T discussed the decision to announce Orton’s return. He acknowledged that keeping Orton’s appearance a secret would have been difficult in today’s era of social media. With fans constantly sharing information and sightings online, it would have been nearly impossible to keep Orton’s return under wraps. Booker T stated, “I’m sure someone would’ve broken on Twitter that Randy Orton has been spotted in Chicago. I’m sure of that. There’s no way around that.”
Instead of trying to surprise fans, Booker T believes that WWE made the smart move by promoting Orton’s return. By announcing his appearance, WWE can generate more excitement and anticipation for the event. Booker T explained, “More importantly, you want the Randy Orton fans to know he’s going to be there.” This way, fans who are specifically interested in seeing Orton can tune in and ensure they don’t miss his return.
It has been reported that WWE’s decision to announce Orton ahead of time was also to manage fan expectations. There had been speculation and rumors about CM Punk potentially making a surprise appearance at Survivor Series 2023. By announcing Orton, WWE made it clear that Punk would not be appearing, preventing any disappointment or backlash from fans who were expecting him.
Overall, Booker T believes that WWE made the right call by announcing Randy Orton’s return at Survivor Series 2023. In today’s age of social media, keeping surprises a secret can be challenging, and by promoting Orton’s return, WWE can generate more excitement and ensure that his fans don’t miss out on the event.