Jake Roberts: Orton underused, Cena overexposed, AEW lacks his style

WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts on Tuesday offered a blunt appraisal of the modern wrestling landscape, saying Randy Orton is one of the few current performers who reminds him of his own work, criticizing John Cena as overexposed, and arguing that the All Elite Wrestling roster contains no one who evokes his persona. Roberts made the remarks during an interview with GamesHub.

Roberts singled out Orton as both similar to his own style and underused by WWE. "Oh, Randy Orton is a lot like Jake the Snake. Without a doubt. Just the mannerisms and the way he carries himself," Roberts said, adding that Orton "needs more, he could deal with more" on the roster. The comment echoes recent observations from fellow Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who has also suggested Orton has not been fully utilized, a view that has been discussed among wrestling observers.

On Cena, Roberts was direct. "Of course, I think John Cena's playing them up. He's been there a while, hasn't he? Way too long," he said when asked which performers he felt were overused. Roberts also contrasted his own career path with more modern markers of success, reiterating that he never needed a WWE title to validate his...