Randy Orton is a renowned American professional wrestler who played a significant role in WWE during the early 2000s. Throughout his career, he has shared the ring with wrestling icons like John Cena, AJ Styles, and The Rock, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in the world of sports entertainment.
One reason for Randy Orton’s polarizing reputation stems from his portrayal as a real-life antagonist for a significant portion of his career. Terms like juvenile, immature, and unprofessional have been associated with the Viper due to various incidents over the years. It’s worth noting that many of these occurrences took place earlier in his career when he was still maturing as an individual. In fact, Orton once spent 38 days in a military prison when he was a Marine.
Randy Orton Lost A Big Movie Role Due To His Troubled Past
Randy Orton faced backlash and was subsequently removed from his leading role in Marine: Homefront in 2012 after numerous real-life Marines expressed disdain over his casting. According to TMZ, the Marines were outraged due to allegations that Orton had deserted them during his brief tenure in the USMC.
The controversy stemmed from Orton’s dishonorable discharge from his unit following instances of going AWOL on two occasions and disobeying his superiors in 1999. Orton faced a court-martial and was sentenced to 38 days in prison as a result of these incidents.
A representative from WWE conveyed to the site,
“WWE acknowledges that it exercised poor judgment in casting Randy Orton for the 3rd installment of the film.” The representative further explained, “Despite Randy’s popularity, his dishonorable discharge from the USMC made it inappropriate for him to be involved in this project.”
Among those expressing vehement disapproval was one of Randy Orton’s former unit members, Cpl. Mike Vinn, who stated,
“I am disgusted by the juxtaposition of his image with the term ‘Marine’ – whether real or fictional – due to his abandonment of us, the country, and the Marine Corps. Seeing [Randy] portraying a Marine is an insult to those who have proudly served or are currently serving in that uniform.”
Randy Orton was ultimately replaced by The Miz in the film.
Randy Orton Has Appeared In Films Before
Despite primarily thriving in WWE for two decades, Randy Orton has also ventured into Hollywood. In 2015, he took on the main lead role in the movie titled The Condemned 2. While the film received average ratings, Orton’s acting performance was not deemed a complete failure.
Following his role in The Condemned 2, Orton made appearances in the TV series Shooter and the 2019 movie Changeland, where he portrayed the character of Martin. It appears that fans are eager to see Orton transition further into the realm of big-screen acting. The Condemned 2, which garnered a rating of 4.1/10 on IMDB, is available for rental on Apple TV+ in the U.S. Nevertheless, Randy Orton doesn’t need movies to show he is one of the GOATs in WWE and that is all that matters.
