Randy Orton Talks on WrestleMania, Title Run, Manu & More

Randy Orton recently took part in an interview with The Sun. You can see some highlights below and check the whole article out here. About his match with Triple H not meeting expectations: "This was a storyline where Triple H needed retribution. He needed to beat the living p*** out of me because of what I did. I handcuffed him and made him watch while I beat up his wife and then kissed her while she was unconscious. Then to top it off after I do that, I knock him out with a sledgehammer to the head. I kick his father-in-law in the skull and put him in the hospital, and do the same to his brother-in-law. I think when all that happens and then you have this match where he can’t be disqualified or he loses the title, you kind of screw yourself. We were not able to do everything that the other guys were able to do. Matt and Jeff Hardy had a hardcore no-holds-barred match. They were able to use all the bells and whistles to beat the hell out of each other. Everyone was expecting Triple H and I to do the same, but we had rules that put a fence around everything we were able to do. We weren’t able to go to the extreme. If anything hurt us, it was that." I wasn't going to comment but him saying "If anything hurt us, it was that" just makes me think he is delusional. No one credible has praised that match. His delusion became clear when he added, "No, because I was happy with the match. I really was." About how his current title run will be different than the others he has had, he said: "The older and more mature I’ve become in the business, the more responsibility I’m able to carry in being champion and representing the company. This is going to be where I make my name and I cement myself in history." About former Legacy member Manu: "Manu had some respect issues. There are a lot of different reasons he wasn’t good for Legacy, but the reason he’s not with the company anymore had a lot to do with his backstage attitude."

Randy Orton on why he kicked Manu out of Legacy

In an interview featured in the latest issue of WWE Magazine, Randy Orton reveals why he kicked Manu out of Legacy.

"Respect, that's something that Manu, who had a chance to be part of Legacy, didn't have," Orton told WWE Magazine. "He grew up in the business, and you would've thought he'd have that ingrained in his mind. He had been wrestling since his early teens, and he thought that he was already a veteran in his early 20s. That's what got him fired from Legacy. But I think we're looking to include another part man in the stable to make it all the more powerful. I'll say no more."

While Orton's comments appear to be in-character, they are apparently not as the interview was a non-kayfabe interview with the members of Legacy discussing their real-life aspirations for the group, their families' lineage, what makes the group different than other groups of the past, and more.

However, behind the scenes, it is known that Orton legitimately pushed for Manu to be kicked out of the group, feeling he wasn't in the same league as the other members, and didn't fit in as a result. WWE officials apparently agreed as the son of WWE Hall of Famer Afa was booted from the group in an angle that aired on the January 12, 2009 edition of Raw. Manu's departure from the group ultimately led to his release from World Wrestling Entertainment as the company didn't have anything else for him once they opted against sending him back down to developmental.