Randy Orton Can't Stand Lack Of Selling & False Finishes

Randy Orton isn’t shy about his views of pro wrestling. He is also at a point in his career where he is regarded as a locker room leader as well.

Orton pays attention to the leg slapping that goes on in NXT and other companies. He has a lot of advice to give, but there is one thing he can’t stand.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Orton said he can’t stand so many false finishes in a match. He discussed the art of selling which is a common point of discussion. He continued to talk about the idea of match psychology and how the little things do matter to help tell a good story.

“I’m not saying that my opinion is the only way to go. It’s worked for me, but it might not work for them. Any advice that I give guys might not work for them. When you have A-Z memorized, it becomes a choreographed, physical, brutal, violent dance. It can be smooth, and it can look rough, and things can look hard-hitting, but when it comes down to it, slowing down and letting people see what you’re feeling–like someone getting dropkicked in the knee earlier in the match, and then 10 minutes later, you know why he’s limping across the ring. Selling, selling, selling. All those guys sell, but they need to turn up the selling meter and take a page out of some of these old-school guys’ books. You need to sell.”

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“I can’t stand when I see 10 false finishes in a row, where a guy takes a powerbomb and then he’s up and then he’s delivering a knee, and then the other guy ducks, and then it’s boom, boom, boom, boom. It’s too much. But because these guys are capable of doing it, because the fans are going to chant ‘Fight For-Ev-Er!’ and all that crap, they’re going to keep doing it because they think that’s what they’ve got to do to get that reaction. But sometimes the fans don’t need to make noise to be reacting. Sometimes they’re sitting and they’re watching with their mouths open, not saying a word, and they’re invested and paying attention. They want to see what you’re going to do or say next.”

“That’s the disconnect between a lot of the main roster guys and the younger guys in NXT. They’re just hungry, they’re addicted to that chant from the crowd. They want the roof to come off the top of that building every single spot that they do. There’s no build to that. You’ve got to build to that. There’s a crescendo. You’ve got to start slower and then pick up the pace, then settle back down. It’s like a director of a symphony. It’s an art. We do it so much, and guys get injured so much, there’s a smarter way to do business. That’s my main concern.”

Randy Orton will continue for years to come as he influences others. He didn’t come down on everything going on outside of WWE. There is still a lot that anyone can learn from someone like Randy Orton.