(SOURCE): Maybe being the youngest heavyweight champion in WWE's history went to Randy Orton's head.

Maybe hearing a symphony of boos and cheers from thousands of people every night affected his perspective.

But Orton needed a reality check. And two years ago, he got it from Vince McMahon, who happens to sign the paycheques.

"I wasn't thinking before I was saying things," says Orton, who seems to have matured through the humbling process. "I was taking the heel persona a little too seriously. I was told, 'This isn't going to work for you. That's what the ring is for. This is a publicly traded company and you're not a kid anymore."

It was a chat with McMahon and subsequent suspension that had an impact.

"Vince said he couldn't have somebody who was a loose cannon. He said if any person was going to stop Randy Orton from succeeding, it was Randy Orton."

So why didn't one of the other wrestlers, one of the veterans, give the third-generation star a reality slap?

"I'm sure Triple H was probably thinking it. He probably had a hundred of those conversations with me," says Orton.

He says internet reports at the time accused him of trashing a hotel room, something he says just wasn't true.

"I came home early from a show in Germany and the night before I flew out, a couple of the other wrestlers, who I won't name, got out the fire extinguishers and had a war in the hotel. There was thousands of dollars worth of damage. Everybody thought it was me because I flew home right after. There were signs in arenas: 'Randy Orton destroyed my hotel room.'"

Orton says he's looking forward to tomorrow's Survivor Series, where Team Orton will take on Team Batista.

"Being part of it is awesome," he says. "My goal this show and every time I got out there is to steal the show."

At age 28, Orton says he's still on the rise.

"You look at the talent and you've got a lot of the veterans getting to the age where they have to slow down ... lighten up their schedules, maybe do some movies," says Orton. "You've got a big crop of second- and third-generation wrestlers. And you've got a lot of new guys with limited experience. There are very few wrestlers at the level I'm at. There are going to be a lot of things for me to do down the road, movies and sponsorships, but my goal is to be the No. 1 guy here.

"As long as I'm kicking ass and taking names, the titles will find me."

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