Edge & Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness Recap
Guest: Randy Orton
Release Date: September 29, 2017
Recap By: Jeff Indelicato, PWPodcasts.com Specialist
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“For The Benefit of Those with No Time” (Top Stories)
- Alterbridge never performed Edge’s song live at a WrestleMania because he felt it was too cool for a heel to do.
- Mick Foley & Kurt Angle were E&C’s favorite wrestlers to do backstage segments with.
- A majority of the ideas for Randy’s 2011 feud with Christian came from Captain Charisma.
- Randy initially objected to winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Christian so quickly.
- Their 2011 feud almost ended prior to SummerSlam, with plans tentatively changing for Mark Henry to face off against Orton.
“You Think You Know Them” (Recap)
Show Introduction/No Mercy Review 0:00-28:00
The show opens with E&C talking about the good reviews from last week’s episode with John Cena. Christian was challenged to match Edge’s “get” from last week, and he produced another winner in Randy Orton, who will be on later.
We jump right in to No Mercy talk, beginning with John Cena vs. Roman Reigns. Edge thought it was interesting that the match didn’t close the show. Usually he is a proponent of ending a PPV with the championship match, but felt like this was one where the story was big enough to close it. As he was watching the match, he felt it was very similar to the Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6, but believed that it was a true passing of the torch from Cena to Reigns. Both E&C could feel and see the emotion, and gave props to both men, but specifically to John, who strongly put someone over.
Next up is Jason Jordan vs. The Miz. They mention how good Miz is, which leads to Edge talking about how he’s sick and tired of people being surprised that The Miz is that good. They talk about how he is always willing to learn, and never got offended if someone offered advice. In fact, he would take that critique and ask a lot of questions in order to dig deeper and deeper. Another great thing about him is his willingness to promote the company, and how he never says no to anything.
With regards to Jordan, E&C feel that the company is just trying too hard and too soon with him. They just want to let it build organically, as he’s still trying to find his own identity. With that said, they know he’s a hard worker, and is going to be just fine.
Next up was the Tag Title match between Ambrose/Rollins & Cesaro/Sheamus. Edge really likes Cesaro & Sheamus together, and feels they are doing something different. They have a natural chemistry and friendship that is carrying over from backstage into the ring. They also talk about how tough Cesaro is for injuring his teeth and still continuing through the match.
With regards to the Fatal 5 Way Women’s Championship match, Edge was surprised that Nia Jax didn’t win, but Christian wasn’t, as he thinks it’ll be in a future 1-on-1 match. They talk about how multi-man matches can be difficult, as you have to have some sort of plan backstage instead of being able to call it directly in the ring. A lot of thought has to go in to a match like that to make it good.
Finally, there was Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Stroman. Christian thought it was good, and intriguing, because you weren’t sure who would win between the two. He also thought Braun may end up the victor. Edge was reminded of the recent Samoa Joe/Lesnar feud, and felt they are working hard to keep the F5 strong. They’d like to see Brock hold the belt until Mania, and then have Braun meet him again there, but believe it’s probably going to be Reigns vs. Lesnar.
Q&A Segment 28:00 – 45:45
Why didn’t Alterbridge ever perform Edge’s theme song live at a WrestleMania?
Because Edge was mostly a heel throughout that run, and having the band perform it live would’ve been too cool. If he had been a babyface at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando, it would’ve been done then. If he had known that WrestleMania 27 would’ve been his last, he would’ve considered it, since he was a face.
What music do you let your kids listen to?
Christian’s kid is still super into Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake, along with the Moana soundtrack and other dance music. Edge’s kids are also into Moana and JT. Since the recent Foo Fighters album just came out, he tried getting his daughter into it with some success by saying it’s a heavier version of music from Trolls. Queen is also big in their house.
Would you ever consider letting your kids become wrestlers?
Both would be supportive if that was what they wanted to do, and if it made them happy. Edge adds that with both him and Beth being in the industry, they could be able to provide a more educated synopsis of what the business is really all about. His daughter has already shown an interest, and told her Dad that it looks like fun.
Who was your favorite person to do backstage segments with?
Both of them agree that it was Mick Foley & Kurt Angle, as they really meshed well together. Christian also throws in Chris Jericho, who he had a lot of fun with.
When they were heels and were out in the public, did they ever get nervous being around fans that maybe took things too seriously?
Edge had his tires slashed, and eggs/milkshakes thrown at his car, but for both of them, it was really just fans who would overact, and needed to be calmed down.
Interview with Randy Orton 45:45 – 1:50:00
We begin with the Stone Cold impersonator, who does a mix of Orton’s themes. This then leads into the conversation, where Randy is calling from his truck. He’s got family in town for his daughter’s baptism, and there is a lot of good food that is being prepped for it inside.
Randy talks about what a chore it is to go to the gym and watch what he’s eating. In fact, now that he’s getting closer to 40, he has to try harder, which he is not digging. He would’ve loved nothing more than to join the Wyatts and wear tank tops and jeans to cover it up. To further elaborate, his weight is always fluctuating, so it’s stressful to maintain his physique. He puts over Kevin Owens, who he says “started fat, and he’ll be able to finish fat.” He says this in a lighthearted way, as there is always fat shaming in the locker room between the wrestlers. They talk about how you can let yourself go when you’re a heel, which concludes this segment with Randy talking about how he’s ready to let go, and turn heel.
Edge wants to ensure that he clears the air with Randy, as he unintentionally forgot to include him as part of his Hall of Fame speech. He recognizes that The Viper was a huge part of his career. They go way back, and he was appreciative of their time and friendship together. He mentions their great match at Vengeance 2004, and time as a tag team together in Rated RKO, which they both really enjoyed.
Christian adds how he and Randy go way back as well. In fact, he was the one who would work dark matches with Randy before he was scheduled to make his debut on the main roster. Christian even gave him advice in those dark matches in order to generate a crowd reaction for Orton.
We then move into Orton’s feud with Christian in 2011, which both recognize as one of their favorite storylines/matches. Randy admits that most of the ideas came from Christian, who also helped him in gaining confidence in the ring. Christian adds that it’s cool when you have 100% trust with each other, and that Randy made Christian better because of how easy things came to him. He remembers watching Orton from backstage with John Cena, and telling John, “the scary thing is he doesn’t know how good he is.” Cena replied with, “No, he has no clue.”
Orton is grateful for how both Edge & Christian helped him, and now feels that he’s in a place where he can give back and help others. He references a recent match with Aiden English, and working to get him over by giving English offense in the match, which was much appreciated. Orton feels that doing this is very rewarding, and he is willing to give back to those who work hard, and want to learn, like Baron Corbin & English. His goal is to make the show better, and to help others, which is a great feeling, especially when they’re grateful for it. Edge learned early on that you don’t have to be a jerk to be a locker room leader, and that by just having a competitive match, the other guy’s stock is raised.
Speaking from his own experience, Christian knew that he wouldn’t have been in the position to win the World Championship in 2011 if Edge hadn’t retired. He tells a story on the day of the event where he was told that Vince wanted to speak to him. A little while later, he was told that it could wait until after the show, which is foretelling what was scheduled to be talked about. After the event, Vince sat Randy & Christian down to let them know that they were his two most established guys, and that he would be depending on them to carry the show and get their feud over until SummerSlam. That obviously meant that Christian would be dropping the championship soon after he won it.
Randy originally objected to winning the championship from Christian so quickly, as he felt it was a bad idea, but Vince wanted to tell a good story with Christian turning heel. Both then recognized that it was best for the story, and looking back, it was a great feud. Edge adds that those matches have held up even better over time and how great of a story it told.
Throughout the summer of 2011, Christian was always thinking, and coming up with new ideas to produce for their feud. Mark Henry was starting to really step up at the time as well, so the company was considering going with Henry vs. Orton at SummerSlam instead. Christian was offended, as Vince had challenged them to get to SummerSlam and they were almost there. He loved Henry and felt that he also deserved to be on that stage but didn’t think another 4-6 weeks would hurt him.
In addition, Christian felt that he deserved the opportunity, and after missing a few Manias, felt that this ‘Slam was his WrestleMania. Orton also agreed, and stepped up with Captain Charisma to voice his thoughts and feelings with Vince. Randy says that one of the things that he likes about Vince, is that if he knows you feel that strongly about something, he trusts you.
We then get to hear a little about Randy’s private life, which includes a wife, 2 of his own daughters, and 3 step-sons, which he loves with all of his heart. When he first began dating his wife, she lived in New York, he lived in St. Louis, and with both of them having kids, he thought that the relationship could possibly only go so far, but love’s a powerful thing, and he’s grateful. He loves being a father, and says that there’s nothing better than when his girl smiles at him. There is a lot of laughter, and everyone gets along. His sons are big wrestling fans, and because of this, his 9-year-old daughter is watching it more, which has brought them even closer.
He mentions what a great team all of them are together, and how they take care of each other and are his best friends. He makes sure to talk about how great of a person his wife is, and how there’s a way to still be a wrestler with a personal life, but it takes a strong partner to put up with it as well. He mentions how excited his sons were that he was talking to E&C on the podcast, adding that for them to love and be interested in what he loves makes for an even better time.
Randy tells a story where he brought the family to a show when he was wrestling Seth Rollins, and he brought The Architect over to his younger son, who gave him a working slap, which Seth sold like he had been hit by a 2×4. This led to a lot of fun not only for them, but the crowd. He mentions how great it is for them to not only see him work, but get to meet some of their other favorites backstage. He has learned not to take anything for granted.
We close out the interview with the boys thanking Randy for his time, and hoping to have him on again soon.
Wrap Up & Close 1:50:00-1:56:00
E&C hope people got to see another side of Randy, and really enjoyed the conversation.
They have one more question received that they would like to answer. For Edge:
How much prep went into the Foley match at WM22?
Nothing was really practiced, as they wanted to do it real time, and only really wanted to try the spear through the ropes. Christian adds that most of the time, they just want to test things out for timing. He tells a quick story where him and Shelton Benjamin were working out a spot for one of their Money in the Bank matches at WrestleMania; however, Shelton misunderstood, which lead to Christian falling, getting hung up in the ropes, and hitting his face on the apron. Vince saw it, and asked the Bird Man: “You okay Pal?”
E&C close the show and encourage everyone to follow the show on Twitter @EandCPod, E-Mail them at ecpodofawesomeness@gmail.com, and to call their Voicemail at 929-367-8204.
Jeff’s Take: 9 Kazoos out of 10
Another really great show. It’s really neat to see someone as private as Randy is let his guard down, and just have a normal conversation with his buddies. He really came across as sincere, with a genuine love for not only what he does, but for his family as well. I also think that his feud with Christian was one of their best, and look forward to revisiting that sometime soon on the network. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @the_Indel or send me an email at indelpw@gmail.com. See you next week!
“5 Second Pose of Timestamps”
0:00: Show Introduction/No Mercy Review
28:00: Q&A
45:45: Interview with Randy Orton
1:08:00: Feud with Christian in 2011
1:29:00: Family Life
1:50:00: Wrap Up & Close
About the Author
Jeff has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was knee high to a grasshopper (little kid), after coming across the Wrestling Challenge episode after WrestleMania 7, and has not looked back. His passion has led him to winning wrestling trivia contests in his city, and even won him his Senior Talent Show by dancing to Shawn Michaels theme song. When not annoying others with wrestling talk, he loves spending time with his family and friends, and focuses on his other passion: movies.
For more, check out our archives of E&C Pod of Awesomeness.
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