Maven flirted with the main event level of WWE TV for a brief time in 2004, and he credits Randy Orton for that. The WWE alumnus was part of Orton’s Survivor Series 2004 team and ended up becoming Raw GM for a night afterward, while also getting a shot against Triple H for the WWE World Championship. He recently spoke on his YouTube account about his friendship with Orton and how it led to his getting the push.
“As the years passed on, [Randy Orton’s] importance to the company continued to grow,” Maven said (per Fightful). “Everybody knew that he was a special talent, but he never in any way changed the way he treated me. He never big-timed me in any way. In fact, he always went out of his way to even try to help me. He would go to the writing team, he would always encourage them to use me in different ways, different roles.”
He continued, “I’ve always thought that me being inserted into the Survivor Series angle in 2004, probably directly correlated with him, encouraging them to use me. Because if you look at the participants in that, one guy stands out that doesn’t fit. It’s not Triple H. It’s not Batista. It’s me, I’m the one that does not fit.”
