Randy Orton is reportedly open to the idea of talking to All Elite Wrestling, but he might not actually be in current talks with the promotion as some people have speculated.
Last night on the Fightful SmackDown Post-Show, managing editor Sean Ross Sapp addressed a recent report by @WrestleVotes that said AEW made a significant offer to a current WWE star to join the new promotion. It was explained that Orton was the rumored name involved, but Sapp elaborated that Orton had been heard saying he’s open to the idea of talking with them, not that any type of offer had been made.
“They did not reveal who the name is, I know the name. Before I get into this, I am not saying this person was offered an AEW deal. I’m not saying if that happened, because I don’t know if that happened. In fact, I asked people in AEW about this, and I was told [by AEW] ‘we are not tampering. We are not doing that. Our approach is fresh and independent is the goal for the majority of our recruitment. What you are likely seeing is a particular agent trying to leverage more money out of WWE by possibly planting shit like this.’”
Sapp said the information came from a reliable source, which was later verified by 2-3 other people. Orton was described as being openly discussing his willingness to speak to All Elite Wrestling. It was once again reiterated that sources have said Orton has been heard openly discussed his willingness to speak with AEW, not that there was a contract offer or that Orton has been approached by the promotion. It was once again noted that someone from AEW told him they are not going to be tampering.
It’s also worth noting that later in the show, a viewer responding to Sapp’s comments cited a past issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter as reporting Orton had signed a ten-year deal with WWE. The February 1, 2010 issue contained the following regarding Orton’s status at the time:
“Orton signed a long-term contract, one report has it as a ten-year deal. He also got a $600,000 Mania payoff this year.”
Report: All Elite Wrestling Makes ‘Outstanding’ Offer To Current WWE Star
