Randy Orton was set for the biggest match of his career at WrestleMania 21 against The Undertaker. Orton was being groomed as the next top star in WWE and challenging The Undertaker's streak was a high honor for a 24-year-old.
He nearly blew it.
Speaking on WWE Untold, Orton recalled the story of him missing rehearsal for the match.
"I was 24 and I was a little bit of a prick back then. We have the Hall of Fame and WrestleMania. The day of the Hall of Fame, that morning, we had rehearsal. It was my father, John Laurinaitis, Ricky Steamboat, I believe Mike Chioda, and Undertaker were part of rehearsal. There's a sixth man who was supposed to be there. It was me. Let's just say that I got into some trouble and didn't get much sleep, just in case my kids are watching. This is my second WrestleMania, I'm 24, I've been given the world. My dad is there. Taker is there. I got down there just as they were finishing up and walking out. I worked with Undertaker for a year and it started out with me missing rehearsal for the biggest match of the year. A lot of people may have opinions of me about early in my career, but nobody considers myself more of an asshole than I do," he said.
Orton went on to say that he regrets letting Undertaker down and that he was thankful that Undertaker didn't hold it against him in a bigger way.
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