Kurt Angle Says Randy Orton Is Training His Butt Off, Talks Their Relationship

On the latest episode of the Kurt Angle Show, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about WWE SummerSlam 2004 where he wrestled Eddie Guerrero, Randy Orton winning the World Heavyweight Title over Chris Benoit, and more. He also noted that Orton is still training after getting neck fusion surgery. You can check out some highlights below:

On not main eventing SummerSlam 2004: “I honestly believe we could have been. But I think if Eddie had the title at this point in time, we definitely would’ve had the main event of SummerSlam. It’s just unfortunate, I’m sure they had a different title match that they wanted the main event there… Oh God, Eddie and I would’ve torn it up. Well, you know, I was hurt for five months. So even though we kept the program going, you didn’t see any wrestling during that five-month period. But Eddie and I would’ve probably had one of the best storylines and best three matches in a row. You know, you got the one win one, the other guy wins the other, and the other the rubber match. We would’ve had one of the best programs in the company’s history. Really? I do, I do believe that.”

On Randy Orton becoming World Heavyweight Champion at this show: “What was he, 21? You know what though, he was so talented from the beginning. The kid had it; he had the It factor. You know, he started wrestling at 17, and four years later he’s a world champion. And you know what? He deserved it. I think he’s the youngest champion in history, I believe.”

On his relationship with Orton: “Yeah, we were hanging out. We were traveling together when Randy started, so we kept in touch. Even though he was on Raw, I was on SmackDown, we would text each other, check on each other, and ensure each other was okay. Randy’s always been a good friend of mine. He’s still my friend to this day. He’s one of the very few wrestlers I actually still keep in touch with… [Our wives being friends] is what keeps Randy and me closer together. We don’t have a choice… We went to dinner two years ago. We went to St. Louis, I believe. And we ended up eating dinner at the steakhouse, we had a lot of fun. It was cool to see Randy and Kim, and my wife and I were there, just the four of us. It was fun. Kim’s begged Giovanni to come out there numerous times, so, okay.”

On Orton’s recovery: “Randy’s been out with injury. And, even though he has time off right now, he’s training his butt off, and he’s still rehabbing and everything like that. So, you know, you don’t wanna, — I’d rather wait till he gets back on TV before we start doing anything.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Kurt Angle Show with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.