Randy Orton Thinks Celebrity Is ‘ready’ for WWE Career

By Andrew Ravens‎

Contributing Sports Writer

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WWE superstar and 14-time world champion Randy Orton believes that popular celebrity streamer IShowSpeed has what it takes to pursue a career in WWE, stating that the company has "something" with him. The streamer, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., recently took on the task of training to become a WWE superstar in episode five of his YouTube series, 'SPEED GOES PRO'.

The training took place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The popular celebrity has already made several notable appearances in WWE. Speed made an impromptu entrant appearance in the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble match, where he was eliminated by Bron Breakker after eliminating Otis.

He also made a surprise appearance at 'WrestleMania 40' dressed as a Prime bottle during Logan Paul’s three-way match with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, which culminated with him taking an RKO from Orton onto the announce table.

Randy Orton was the star chosen to help with Speed’s training for the YouTube series. After completing drills and in-ring work with Performance Center coaches Fit Finlay and Matt Bloom, as well as WWE talent Sheamus and Myles Borne, Speed competed in his first WWE match. He took on WWE LFG star Anthony Luke, in which he suffered a losing effort.

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At the conclusion of the episode, Speed asked Randy Orton for his professional opinion on whether the streamer has what it takes to be a WWE superstar. Orton provided a confident, yet realistic, assessment of Speed’s potential future in the business.

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“Speed, it takes a very long time to get good at your craft. You got a long way to go but without a shadow of a doubt I think you do have what it takes to be a WWE superstar”.

Orton then stated that WWE has found "something" with Speed, suggesting he is a natural fit for the profession. The 14-time world champion added that Speed could potentially become a full-time member of the roster if he chooses to pursue the commitment required.

“He is ready, we’ve got something here. Mentally he’s there, physically he’s got everything it takes. If he wants to stick with this journey, through hard work and dedication he could one day be a full-time WWE superstar, if he wants it”.

Speed himself described the training experience as just a "step in the door". He teased that a full-time career in WWE could be in his future, but acknowledged that more learning and hard work would be necessary.

“I think everything y’all just seen was just a step in the door, I need to have more knowledge, I need to learn more, I need to practice more and work for it. I guess it’s that time”.

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