Nic Nemeth Discusses WWE Fans' Shifting Opinion Of Randy Orton

Longtime WWE veteran Randy Orton both opened and closed last night's "WWE Raw," starting off with a promo segment between himself and GUNTHER before Orton defeated Ludwig Kaiser later in the main event. Speaking on today's "Busted Open Radio," former WWE star Nic Nemeth (AKA Dolph Ziggler) offered his thoughts on the reactions Orton has been receiving as of late, including the booming reception last night. Nemeth pointed out that the response to Orton as a babyface is in stark contrast to how the wrestler was perceived in years past.

"To see Randy get [that reaction] yesterday, I was like, 'Okay, maybe this is one of those things where 10 years went by and all of a sudden the world started shifting on The Miz being good at wrestling instead of just promos,'" Nemeth said. "And it was just like slowly he earned this unseeable, ungrabbable badge of, 'You know what? Miz is pretty good now.'"

There are many reasons why this could be the case, including Orton having spent more than a year away from WWE before returning last November. Additionally, Nemeth stated that today's Orton is much better on the mic.

"A long time ago, and he'll say this, his promos weren't the greatest or the coolest," Nemeth stated. "And they shouldn't have been, because he was a snake. ... I think, for years, I used to bust his balls, and rightly so a lot, which was fun, because I just knew how good he was."

Orton and GUNTHER are set to battle over the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Bash In Berlin later this month. Though GUNTHER was born in Austria, he spent a great deal of time wrestling in Germany during the early days of his career, making it something of a homecoming for the champion.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.