Randy Orton could potentially have a place on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling, and if not the entire industry, quite possibly the WWE’s version of the concept.
Even with his greatness in sports entertainment, Orton has tried his hand at acting in cinema. On a recent episode of What Do You Want to Talk About, Cody Rhodes’ podcast, Orton was a guest and shed some light on a high-profile audition he had for the role of Cable in Deadpool 2.
Orton was speaking to Rhodes about the many hats he currently wears.
“So I do auditions here and there,” Orton said. “I remember I got an audition early on when I finally got some representation in that industry. And I think Deadpool 2, I read for Cable. In my head, boy, I was gonna be Cable. I was gonna be Cable. I was like ‘this is it.’ Nope. No call back, no nothing. Yeah, thanks. Josh Brolin gets. Of course, Josh Brolin gets it, kills it. I don’t know what the ‘f***’ I’m doing. I think I kinda realized then, I can send in these auditions, but I’m a pro wrestler. Ya know, and I think I really enjoy being a pro wrestler and everything that it’s given me. I don’t think I’ll ever leave this place.”
You can see the entire nearly-hour-long episode here. The segment begins at the 34:10 mark. This episode has gone viral as pieces of it have matriculated across social media, and it amassed more than 115,000 views in the first four hours it was live on WWE’s YouTube channel.
Brolin did an excellent job in the role, as he has with almost everything I’ve ever seen him in, including a super-underrated performance as Llewelyn in No Country For Old Men, but I digress.
As good as Brolin was, it is tough not to imagine what Orton would have done with that role. The Cable character, aka Nathan Summers, is massive in physical size. According to Marvel Universe, Cable is 6’8” and 350 pounds. While Orton isn’t quite that tall, he is a legit 6-foot-5 with more than enough muscle mass to pull off the role of a Marvel supervillain.
As talented as he is, Brolin is only 5-foot-10. In any case, it worked out for everyone–including WWE fans.
Had Orton gotten that role, he may have become a part-time star, which would’ve shortened the full-time run of one of the WWE’s all-time greats. During the interview, Orton also mentioned he wants to wrestle until he’s at least 50. He’s currently 44.
Orton would love to face John Cena one more time before the latter retires and is perhaps interested in another world title run. It would be excellent to see Orton face Cena at some point in 2025 and then have that launch him into an angle where he captures his 14th or 15th world title.
For now, Orton is beginning a program with reigning WWE World Champion Gunther. The pair will face off at Bash in Berlin on August 31.
