Can Randy Orton be salvaged or vitalized?

[AegonTargaryen]

Let's consider a few, indisputable facts about Randy Orton:-

1)He is one of the most phenomenally athletic wrestlers in history, what is usually called "gifted" or being a "natural".
2)The Evolution of his character began with being a cocky, arrogant protege of Ric Flair, a Legend Killer, to an insidious, fractious, volatile "viper", to an overprotected corporate champion with HHH/Authority, and then nothing.
3)He's been the world champion countless times, won the Rumble twice, MITB, feuded with HHH, Taker, Shawn, Cena, Batista, and turned heel and face. Basically, done everything.

However, it seems like all of that only serves as a curse, because, where do you go from there?

I actually am a fan, so I'm not saying he ought to change his moveset or something, he's good in the ring, we all know that.

But it feels like he's been around for so long, turned face or heel so many times, that vitality, vigour, and excitement seems to be lacking, not only in his persona/character, but in the person.

May be it's even unfair to blame him, because what could possibly stimulate or challenge him now, except for the Writers/Creative to come up with something new yet again?

And it's noteworthy that John Cena, who hasn't even changed his character and/or turned Heel once, let alone twice, still generates(even in an inveterate John Cena-hater like me) some sort of an interest, passion, or at least doesn't generate an indifference that Orton's presence seems to generate.

And it is THAT which bothers me, since I really like Orton, and want to appreciate his presence.

One of the factors about Cena is also that knowing his contributions, and his dedication to TV/Film, he is now a part-timer, and really only strives to engage in important feuds and matches. (Except the one-off match with Rusev, of course)

I should think it safe to say that many, if not everyone, weren't quite inspired by the protracted Orton-Wyatt feud, his WWE championship win, for some inexplicable reason. (And again, we aren't really blaming the man per se, or his in-ring expertise, but some indeterminate, inexplicable lack)

So I'll cease my ruminations and end by asking you:-

How do you feel about Randy Orton's career, portrayal and feuds from recent memory- excited, indifferent, or outraged?

Would you agree that some sort of a change is needed, that he is too precious to be a source of indifference, and lackluster feuds?

What would you do with his character or booking, at this point?

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Randy needs to give the fans a reason to care about him. Randy is crazy talented. He was born to be a pro wrestler. Too often though, especially in recent years, fans feel like he is just going through the motions and coasting on his past success and favorable reputation in the company to stay on top instead of actually trying to reinvent his stale persona and actually putting in the hard work that so many fans desire from these guys.

There are a lot of similarities between he and Cena that you pointed you, but there are key differences as well.

A lot of it comes down to what each guy is and was willing to do in ring. Yes, there was a time where Cena deserved the criticism of his five moves of doom and predictable matches. That isn't the case the last few years. John goes out almost each night and is determined to put on his best. He is willing to work with the other guy, play to their strengths, give them their moments. It's why a John Cena PPV match these days is rarely bad.

Orton though, hasn't been willing to go that extra mile. I'm not going to go so far as call him lazy, but he is content to just go out each night and put on passable matches. Rarely is a Randy Orton match bad, but let me ask you something. How many classic matches can you name that Orton had?

His booking the last few years hasn't helped. He has been around the title picture way too often. Remember the title match he had with Cena a few PPVs before Wrestlemania 30? I think that was at Royal Rumble. Anyway, the match the two had, as has been the case for the other 499 matches they have wrestled, was solid. The fans just didn't care because it was Cena vs. Orton again. Aside from too much time in the title picture, most of his storylines are uninspired. The Wyatt feud had promise and was interesting at times, if a little cartoonish, but the payoff sucked. Nearly every other feud has been almost a carbon copy of this feud with Rusev. Someone cuts a promo, Randy hits an RKO, they have uninspired matches in the middle of the show, and no one benefits.

There are things he could change and the writers could change to help him though. For one, stop having the announcers go absolute ape shit over each and every RKO and stop reminding us how each RKO is out of nowhere. I've always found it to be an overrated finisher, but most of the crowd enjoys it and it has provided some amazing moments over the years, but stop treating every single RKO like it's this sudden surprise move that no one saw coming. On that subject, stop hyping up signature moves that he relies on far too often. Before I go any further, I'm aware that every wrestler worth a damn ever has signature moves. It's been a staple of pro wrestling since almost the beginning and you need these moves to pop the crowd. The problem though, especially with the elevated DDT, is that it should be a devastating move that is used to leave guys down and out but he doesn't even try to consistently try to pin guys after. I also don't need Cole or JBL yelling about vintage Orton when he hits it. Every move is vintage Orton because he hasn't added a new move to his arsenal since 2002.

They also needs to have the announcers stop covering for how his mood dictates his in ring performance. I'll touch on it again soon, but Randy has reputations of having a bad temper and often not being invested in feuds. When he is mad at opponents for various reasons, he is a right dick in the ring and is overly stiff and the announcers play it up to his Apex Predator persona. When he isn't invested he often works a super slow and boring style and the announcers cover it by calling it methodical. When he does this, it sucks the energy out of the crowd.

Here is another issue, and I will preface this by saying I'm aware he has been at this for fifteen years and he does have shoulder problems, but Orton almost never takes solid bumps. I'm not asking the guy to go out and pull some Mick Foley type spots, but he really really needs to not over protect himself for every bump.

He also has that reputation of a bit of a hot head due to his actions earlier in his career and wrestling fans never forget.

So yeah, a lot of salvaging Randy falls on his hyper mobile shoulders. He needs to care and be invested and not act bored almost each night.

Oh and why doesn't he do that sexy drop kick anymore?

 

[The Life Of Pablo Ren]

Like most everything wrong with this company, it falls back on his booking in my opinion.

Ever since the start of this decade, so about seven years, he's been in this weird state of limbo, he'll go from being World Champion to being in mid-card feuds and putting over guys like Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes. It's been a constant promotion/demotion thing for years now. It's not like he's remained a constant at the top of the card. It's been a long time since you could really consider him to be the #2 in the company behind Cena.

He has no set role, it's hard to get behind someone like that and I also think that as a performer, it's hard to really be invested in that. They have no problem giving him the WWE Championship, yet they also have no problem with him taking the L to Jinder Mahal three times in a row. They don't keep him very protected, you really get the feeling that he could beat anyone on the roster or lose to anyone on the roster.

It's unique in a way, because I can't imagine them doing that with a Cena or Reigns, etc. but just because it's unique, doesn't mean it's a good thing.

I've always had a soft spot for Orton, as a kid/young teen he was my favorite so of course I still want to see him do well, but I really don't know what can be changed at this point. They'll never change his move-set, and even if they changed his character, there really ISN'T that big of a difference between heel Randy and face Randy. He carries himself almost the same way.

Just... be more consistent with him. Let us and hell, let him know what he actually is.

 

[LODemolition]

I'll just state the obvious and say that Randy Orton needs to be a heel. Maybe not for the rest of his career, but for the foreseeable future. He still gets a decent crowd reaction most nights as a babyface, but it's clear as day that he is bored out of his mind and so are most of us. I'm a fan of him in the ring, his move set and finisher are perfectly fine, but his character (or lack thereof) is atrocious. When he joined the Wyatt Family, even though we knew it would be short-lived, it was the most interested I had been in him in as long as I can remember. Remember when he burned down Wyatt's shack and people were asking who was supposed to be the heel? Well, it should have been Orton. The story should have been Orton growing jealous of Wyatt's title win and getting inside of Luke Harper's head to make him do his dirty work and turn on Wyatt. Obviously in the PG era there is only so far you can take his character, but I really enjoyed him when he was the sick, sadistic one who wouldn't think twice about punting Vince in the head or kissing Stephanie on the lips while Triple H was handcuffed to the ropes.

Can his career be salvaged? Absolutely. I'm not expecting miracles and come up with completely new material in the twilight of his run like Jericho, but I'd be satisfied with them just returning him to what he was for starters. So they can keep him on the path he's on where they just throw him on the card of a ppv just to kind of have him there, like they're doing with him and Rusev at Summerslam, but where will that lead? There's still Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin that he hasn't been in a program with. He and Owens could be interesting, but honestly it'll only be because Owens himself is interesting and would likely carry the feud. Depending on how the superstar shakeup goes, you could potentially put him up against Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, maybe even The Miz. Samoa Joe is the only one of those that intrigues me tbh.

Or they can turn him heel where he feels comfortable in his own skin and keep him heel. I think much like with Big Show, you can only have a guy flip back and forth so many times before you lose all shock factor and nobody cares anymore. They're lucky they haven't reached that point with Orton yet, the fans do still react, but they shouldn't take it for granted. As a heel, there's many more options open that they could explore. Again, depending on what the superstar shakeup has in store, you could potentially put him up against guys like AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, maybe Seth Rollins again with him playing the face this time, possibly even Luke Harper if they'd get their heads out of their asses and put him back on tv. I wouldn't even be opposed to him targetting Jason Jordan in defiance towards Kurt Angle, building a story between them if/when Kurt decides to step back in the ring. I think if they just turn him heel where he belongs, the rest will work itself out. SDL is lacking top heels. Kevin Owens is great, but after him there's a big drop off imo to Mahal, Corbin and Rusev. Orton could automatically compete with Owens for that spot of top heel on the show. There's just way more they can do with him and it will come across to the fans that he's enjoying his role more and help keep us tuned in.

 

[stingray11214]

Did anyone ever think that Randy Orton is a poor man's Brock Lesnar? That he is there for the check, and could care less about anything else? Look, he knows that he is well liked in the back. He knows that he made a shitload of money to live off of. He saw his father work until he was a walking cripple. So, short of jobbing to Enzo Amore, he will go with the flow with minimal effort. Orton does not need to do much else.

 

[LBGetBack]

Did anyone ever think that Randy Orton is a poor man's Brock Lesnar? That he is there for the check, and could care less about anything else? Look, he knows that he is well liked in the back. He knows that he made a shitload of money to live off of. He saw his father work until he was a walking cripple. So, short of jobbing to Enzo Amore, he will go with the flow with minimal effort. Orton does not need to do much else.

I'd say, put that into his gimmick. And have him hate all the "Indy smark favorites" and start targeting them. They kinda were going that way when he was the Authority's choice as champion over Bryan. That's probably the last time he was interesting. Go back to that a bit, have him hate the fans, maybe he starts teaming up with Corbin and they brutalize fan favorites for awhile.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

There are a lot of similarities between he and Cena that you pointed you, but there are key differences as well.

A lot of it comes down to what each guy is and was willing to do in ring. Yes, there was a time where Cena deserved the criticism of his five moves of doom and predictable matches. That isn't the case the last few years. John goes out almost each night and is determined to put on his best. He is willing to work with the other guy, play to their strengths, give them their moments. It's why a John Cena PPV match these days is rarely bad.

Orton though, hasn't been willing to go that extra mile. I'm not going to go so far as call him lazy, but he is content to just go out each night and put on passable matches. Rarely is a Randy Orton match bad, but let me ask you something. How many classic matches can you name that Orton had?

Absolutely. There are key differences between Cena and Orton, which did occur to me, just that I didn't include them in the OP immediately.

It's sort of astounding when one considers these facts:-

Between Cena and Orton and their common feuds,

Cena had an Epic feud early in his career with Edge, while Orton only managed to have a few decent matches with Edge over the years, brief feuds, which were ALL won by Edge.

Cena's feud/matches with Punk from MITB and Summerslam are nothing short of momentous and legendary, while Orton's are just two steps below.

And it's true, one cannot come up with that many classic Orton matches. He's had good matches, but not that many great ones. I think his most memorable and excellent work has been with Cena, HHH and Undertaker.

Whereas with Cena, the match with Lesnar from 2012, the one with Taker from 2003, the ones with Punk of course, and the one with AJ Styles from Summerslam, are absolute classics.

And yet one might be compelled to think Orton's the superior or gifted athlete. More agile and what not.

 

[HeyYo]

Let's consider a few, indisputable facts about Randy Orton:-

1)He is one of the most phenomenally athletic wrestlers in history, what is usually called "gifted" or being a "natural".
2)The Evolution of his character began with being a cocky, arrogant protege of Ric Flair, a Legend Killer, to an insidious, fractious, volatile "viper", to an overprotected corporate champion with HHH/Authority, and then nothing.
3)He's been the world champion countless times, won the Rumble twice, MITB, feuded with HHH, Taker, Shawn, Cena, Batista, and turned heel and face. Basically, done everything.

However, it seems like all of that only serves as a curse, because, where do you go from there?

I actually am a fan, so I'm not saying he ought to change his moveset or something, he's good in the ring, we all know that.

But it feels like he's been around for so long, turned face or heel so many times, that vitality, vigour, and excitement seems to be lacking, not only in his persona/character, but in the person.

May be it's even unfair to blame him, because what could possibly stimulate or challenge him now, except for the Writers/Creative to come up with something new yet again?

And it's noteworthy that John Cena, who hasn't even changed his character and/or turned Heel once, let alone twice, still generates(even in an inveterate John Cena-hater like me) some sort of an interest, passion, or at least doesn't generate an indifference that Orton's presence seems to generate.

And it is THAT which bothers me, since I really like Orton, and want to appreciate his presence.

One of the factors about Cena is also that knowing his contributions, and his dedication to TV/Film, he is now a part-timer, and really only strives to engage in important feuds and matches. (Except the one-off match with Rusev, of course)

I should think it safe to say that many, if not everyone, weren't quite inspired by the protracted Orton-Wyatt feud, his WWE championship win, for some inexplicable reason. (And again, we aren't really blaming the man per se, or his in-ring expertise, but some indeterminate, inexplicable lack)

So I'll cease my ruminations and end by asking you:-

How do you feel about Randy Orton's career, portrayal and feuds from recent memory- excited, indifferent, or outraged?

Would you agree that some sort of a change is needed, that he is too precious to be a source of indifference, and lackluster feuds?

What would you do with his character or booking, at this point?

Actually, I am disputing the idea that he is one of the most amazing athletes. No, he is not. Far from it. Why is he so amazing? What aerial moves does he possess? He has a limited move set.
He was given multiple chances to run with the World Title and he has failed repeatedly.
Also, he is the MOST BORING wrestler on the roster for MANY years.
Whenever Randy Orton is on my screen, its a good time for a snack or bathroom break. HE SUCKS!

 

[LBGetBack]

Actually, I am disputing the idea that he is one of the most amazing athletes. No, he is not. Far from it. Why is he so amazing? What aerial moves does he possess? He has a limited move set.
He was given multiple chances to run with the World Title and he has failed repeatedly.
Also, he is the MOST BORING wrestler on the roster for MANY years.
Whenever Randy Orton is on my screen, its a good time for a snack or bathroom break. HE SUCKS!

LOL. So if you don't do a bunch of flips, you're not a great athlete? Wow.

He's athletic and crisp with all of the moves he does. His moveset is fine for people that actually like pro wrestling. You seem to be one of those fans who needs a bunch of nonsensical flips and high spots every 10 seconds, multiple finishers hit and kicked out of, and at least 5 false finishes and 3 "this is awesome" chants for it to be a "good match".

You could always just go to YouTube and watch people's video game matches that they upload to get that type of match.

 

[L@RISANO]

The value of Randy Orton can be seen clearly in the way his match with Rusev was basically announced out of the blue with no real build of any sort. It screamed of needing to get him on the card due to casual fans liking Randy Orton.

Also, threads like these keep popping up ever so often during my time on the forums with regards to Orton and how to make him interesting again.
Really, he'd be better off just appearing every now and then a la Chris Jericho to feud with an exciting up and comer and then leaving. He has been in WWE just as long as Cena but with much less protection than his eternal rival. With both him and Cena, it is quite clear that WWE recognize that there is a changing of the guard happening and the booking of both guys reflects that over the past year or so and thus, I highly doubt he will really be changing much with his character going forward(wouldnt be surprised if he takes some time off after SummerSlam also).

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In my opinion, he doesn't need salvaging or vitalized because the formula he has more than works out just fine. Orton is still a top merchandise seller, he gets big pops whenever he comes out to do his thing, fans pay attention to him when he cuts a promo and he's been consistently over almost his entire career. So apart from the usual internet fan complaints, there's really no reason for Orton to change at all.

Orton's 37 years old and it's highly unlikely that he's going to be altered to any significant degree for the rest of his career. I wouldn't mind seeing Orton be in either the United States or Intercontinental Championship scenes, that's something I've personally been hoping to see happen for several years because there's no realistically means of salvaging Orton as a World Champion. I think it was inevitable that this would be the case when you consider that Orton was a Royal Rumble winner, Tag Team Champion, Intercontinental Champion and 6 time World Champion all before he was 30 years old. Orton was pushed and pushed hard from a really young age and he'd already had what could be deemed a full career as a major player by hitting an age range when most pro wrestlers in such prominent companies are really only starting to hit their stride.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

At this point in the game, i don't think you need to really change a think with orton. While the guy will never really be over as much as John Cena is, He's still pretty over with the fans in general and it's mostly because of how long the guy as been there. His Job is to help the new guy get over and i think to a certain extent he's doing a pretty good job at it now.

Orton likes Cena is on his last leg of his career, he's already doing a part time schedule by not doing a lot of house shows and he's settling in his spot as a veteran which is kinda nice to see. The guy is pretty much untouchable now and whatever the guy does, fans will react positively to it so just let him be him for what's left of his career.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Randy needs to give the fans a reason to care about him. Randy is crazy talented. He was born to be a pro wrestler. Too often though, especially in recent years, fans feel like he is just going through the motions and coasting on his past success and favorable reputation in the company to stay on top instead of actually trying to reinvent his stale persona and actually putting in the hard work that so many fans desire from these guys.

Didn't he do a shoot where he said he's comfortable where he is at in his career and doesn't mind what the WWE does with him since he feels he's already been established.

So yeah he's at the point where he's coasting in his career. Which is fine since he's made good money and is probably set for life and is perfectly fine where he is at.

Like I said before Orton is a very good talent but i never considered him great. He seems to be the kind of guy where you can have a great feud if you programme him with someone already established like Triple H, John Cena, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, or Undertaker but isn't the guy to carry a feud on his own. I mean he had some good ones with Mysterio and Mark Henry but you look at his feuds with Kane, Bray Wyatt, Batista, and Edge they aren't very memorable. Even when he was Champ before WM30 he didn't really have any heat, most of the fan interest was on Daniel Bryan and the heel heat were from Triple H, Stephanie, and Batista.

 

[Nyce18]

I agree with every reply on this topic that stated that at this point, he doesn't NEED to change a thing for the reasons already previously stated in this thread. I also agree that doing something different again would breathe some life into his character. And while with Orton it would be nothing new anymore as he has flipped and flopped often, it is well documented that he makes a far better heel. Orton as a face is only as strong as the heel opposite of him. While other faces could carry a feud or bring feuds to greater heights, Orton for some reason lacks this ability in this role. Therefore, if the heel doesn't make us invested in the feud, Orton isn't going to either. As a heel, Orton is more natural and his look and attitude almost makes it that much more authentic. A guy like that needs to be able to push the envelope and overstep boundaries.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I've always been on the fence about Randy Orton. He's a guy that's done it all in the company. He has the most powerful, protected and the best looking finisher in WWE called the R.K.O. When was the last time you remember somebody actually kicking out of the R.K.O? I don't think I've ever seen it. I'm sure it's happened but compare it to the AA that Cena has to fire off 4 or 5 in a match to hope to win with it. It would take about 15 to 25 AA's in a row vs Brock Lesner right now to beat him. But I veered off topic.

I view Randy Orton as a mediocre sports entertainer right now. I think his recent feud with Mahal was pretty unremarkable and the first two PPV matches were pretty much carbon copies of each other with the third match being the worst yet in the Piss Prison cage match. His feud with Bray Wyatt was much better and (for the most part) pretty entertaining right up until Wrestlemania. Then they had that boring, uninspired match with videos of bugs on the canvas. Randy won, nobody really cared. Then The House of Suck. That was somehow worse.

I'd rather see Randy Orton as a heel working within the mid card.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Didnt know he needs saving. Man is future HoF and one of the guys that won all. I could even argue that accomplishment wise he is in top 10 ever. 13 times main Champion, has tag team Championship, Intercontinental one and won Rumble and MiTB. He only need US title which he would maybe win until the end of his career. He is there to be there, put some other guys over and maybe win something along on the road, his time at top guy is well over. So as far as he is concerned he is doing his part very well.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

He's one of my favorites. I think the best he has ever been was Royal Rumble 2009 through WM26. He was off the leash. He was a total maniac and the fans loved him, so much so they turned him babyface.

Since then? Great matches, very little character. I don't know who to blame. Maybe WWE just doesn't care. Maybe Randy doesn't care. Either way, I'm nowhere near as interested in what he does now. It's unfortunate.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

In the end I am ok where Orton is. I'd rather have someone coasting but agreeing to put the young guys over than people being, not only coasting, but lazy as well but refusing to put people over like Scott Hall and Kevin Nash when they were in WCW.

 

[StaRRStruck]

Randy Orton was almost completely re-vitalized during his run-in with The Wyatts. SDL was fresh and at least attempting to have unique storylines last year and it felt like this one was a part of the shows core for 5-6 months.

They played it slow and methodical, with Orton and Bray showing up big at Survivor Series and RR. But WWE would ultimately fuck this up by feeding Bray to Randy at 'Mania. I didn't mind Randy going in as face but he should of lost and turned heel. Instead of sending Bray to RAW, Randy could of filled that void. Bray could've got a lengthy reign and Jinder could've won the US title.

Instead... were stuck with a directionless Randy and a bland Bray "Never gonna win the big one so none of this creepy poetry matters" Wyatt. The only way now I can see Randy Orton being re-vitalized is doing something new with his career instead of being in main event title picture or in upper mid-card feuds. This match with Rusev is pointless even if Randy goes over it doesn't do shit for him and obviously does no favours for Rusev. Orton needs to go for the US title or maybe form a tag team. I know it sounds odd for a 13 time world champ but everyone needs to step away and freshen up sometimes (See Cena 2014). Maybe even a slight tweak to his gimmick which hasn't really seen a MAJOR change since 2010-11 (Sadistic/Legacy Orton to Babyface Apex Predator).

All in all, going from the RR winner to losing 3 times to Jinder Mahal on PPV can't make you that important to the Main Event. Wouldn't hurt to try another place on the card.

 

[Spencesc11]

It's time to turn him heel again. And I mean true heel!!! Leave him on Smackdown where you already have top faces like Nakamura, Zayn, New Day, etc...

Flip Kevin Owens face to start

Then form a new heel faction on Smackdown (4 horsemen group) with Ric Flair. Styles, Orton, Corbin, & Ziggler.

Then along with Rusev, Mahal, & The Uso's you have plenty of heel talent on the B-Brand. Orton moving to a 2nd tier role behind Styles at this point in his career makes sense to. He could have a nice run as US Champ or tag champs with Ziggler or Corbin.

 

[LODemolition]

Randy Orton was almost completely re-vitalized during his run-in with The Wyatts. SDL was fresh and at least attempting to have unique storylines last year and it felt like this one was a part of the shows core for 5-6 months.

They played it slow and methodical, with Orton and Bray showing up big at Survivor Series and RR. But WWE would ultimately fuck this up by feeding Bray to Randy at 'Mania. I didn't mind Randy going in as face but he should of lost and turned heel. Instead of sending Bray to RAW, Randy could of filled that void. Bray could've got a lengthy reign and Jinder could've won the US title.

Instead... were stuck with a directionless Randy and a bland Bray "Never gonna win the big one so none of this creepy poetry matters" Wyatt. The only way now I can see Randy Orton being re-vitalized is doing something new with his career instead of being in main event title picture or in upper mid-card feuds. This match with Rusev is pointless even if Randy goes over it doesn't do shit for him and obviously does no favours for Rusev. Orton needs to go for the US title or maybe form a tag team. I know it sounds odd for a 13 time world champ but everyone needs to step away and freshen up sometimes (See Cena 2014). Maybe even a slight tweak to his gimmick which hasn't really seen a MAJOR change since 2010-11 (Sadistic/Legacy Orton to Babyface Apex Predator).

All in all, going from the RR winner to losing 3 times to Jinder Mahal on PPV can't make you that important to the Main Event. Wouldn't hurt to try another place on the card.

Agree with all of this. I never got all the title changes early this year. Styles should have gone into Mania as champ and defended in a triple threat against Orton and Wyatt imo, with Wyatt coming out new champ. Then send Orton off to Raw where he either already is heel (like I said, Wyatt should've played the face role in their feud) or at the very least, he turns heel after going to Raw and starting something up with Balor, Rollins, or Reigns. He could've even formed an alliance with Samoa Joe as Triple H's henchmen, seeking out revenge on Rollins after the Mania win. I could easily see a good program down the road between Orton and Joe when Joe breaks away and turns face, wanting to be his own man.

As I said in my earlier post in this thread, there's just nothing much for him as a face on SDL with the rosters as they are now. Owens and Corbin are the only top heels he hasn't feuded with yet, and can you imagine the level of boredom Orton vs Corbin would bring? I'm convinced Owens can carry a feud with a mannequin, so they could make that work. But Owens is going to have to be turned face eventually, you hear how much he gets cheered every week. Owens and Orton could easily pull off a double turn.

But Orton to Raw in the next superstar shakeup is a no-brainer. If I were them, I wouldn't even wait that long and I'd just make a "trade" for someone like Big Cass directly after SummerSlam.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Orton is an interesting case... in some ways his longevity is actually working against him, especially when you look at it from the perspective of how he HASN'T gotten himself fired. In truth, I've not been interested in him particularly since his aborted run with Wade Barrett, where he got tossed down the stairs... and that suspension killed Barrett's career as surely as Ziggler and Thwagger injuring him.

Despite his ahem, evolution over the years Orton doesn't actually change... he's a safe pair of hands for WWE to put into a title picture, championship role or to put someone over. The fans don't "love him" but they don't mind him either... in many ways he is like a modern Bret Hart circa 1996 or Jericho in 2004-5... People are so comfortable with him that they can't quite imagine life without him, until he is gone for a spell.

The best way to revitalize or energize Orton in the eyes of the fans and booking is to allow the fans to miss him.

He needs to take 1 or 2 years away from the business completely... no shock appearances, no "we're short cos of injuries, we need to have you here on Monday..." 2 years of no Orton at all...

He is young enough to take that kind of break and be able to perform at the same level when he returns...and having that break would make people miss him and possibly prolong his career.

That might be cos the guys they choose to replace him might fail, or someone steps up who you thing "Orton would be GREAT against this guy..."

The formula worked to an extent for Bret Hart in 1996, taking that time off did reivigorate him, albiet for a short time in the WWF, but in that year he was back he got two stellar matches with Austin, helped get Taker over as a legit main eventer rather than attraction and helped kickstart Attitude. Better proof is Chris Jericho when he was dragged kicking and screaming from RAW in 2005... We never saw him or heard of him on WWE TV for 2 years until the cryptic "SAVE US Y2J" stuff began and people were buzzing, not cos the product was stale but cos they really wanted Jericho back... likewise when he returned at the Rumble to that monster pop.

10 years after his original "return from the wilderness" (ironically against Orton) Jericho is still one of the most over and reliable workers the company has... the key to that longevity was the two years he took away doing Dancing with the Stars, singing with Fozzy and doing the family thing. Now Jericho goes away, even for a few months, we miss him.

We never get the chance to miss Orton cos he is ALWAYS there, and you get the sense that it would take nuclear war to shift Orton from the spot he's in and even then like a cockroach, there'd be Orton right near the top of the card...

To many people who know his history, Randy has led somewhat of a charmed life in that he's been given chance after chance in spite of often shocking behavior, and gotten away with things that other talents would be crucified, buried, fired or worse for (his dad bleeding on Taker or shitting in a bag for example) if they had done it and especially his drug issues.

However, he does seem to have turned it around behaviour wise, pretty much since he remarried so the chances of that 3rd strike seem to have vanished. But in someways, even being fired a few years back could have been a boon to Randy in the long term, he'd have been back by now and hot in that "bad boy" way that Brock failed to capitalize on after his recent failed test.

As it stands 2 years is unrealistic so 1 might do... could WWE do just ONE year without Randy Orton? Not cos of injury, but cos it would force them to think of new ways of booking without reverting to him... it would be a risk, but it's one worth taking and from Orton's perspective, even if it was a years paid sabbatical with his kids etc... it can only help him personally as well as professionally...especially if he is seriously wanting to be a top guy for the next decade, which he could be...

 

[Kidpolean]

Orton is an interesting case... in some ways his longevity is actually working against him, especially when you look at it from the perspective of how he HASN'T gotten himself fired. In truth, I've not been interested in him particularly since his aborted run with Wade Barrett, where he got tossed down the stairs... and that suspension killed Barrett's career as surely as Ziggler and Thwagger injuring him.

Despite his ahem, evolution over the years Orton doesn't actually change... he's a safe pair of hands for WWE to put into a title picture, championship role or to put someone over. The fans don't "love him" but they don't mind him either... in many ways he is like a modern Bret Hart circa 1996 or Jericho in 2004-5... People are so comfortable with him that they can't quite imagine life without him, until he is gone for a spell.

The best way to revitalize or energize Orton in the eyes of the fans and booking is to allow the fans to miss him.

He needs to take 1 or 2 years away from the business completely... no shock appearances, no "we're short cos of injuries, we need to have you here on Monday..." 2 years of no Orton at all...

He is young enough to take that kind of break and be able to perform at the same level when he returns...and having that break would make people miss him and possibly prolong his career.

That might be cos the guys they choose to replace him might fail, or someone steps up who you thing "Orton would be GREAT against this guy..."

The formula worked to an extent for Bret Hart in 1996, taking that time off did reivigorate him, albiet for a short time in the WWF, but in that year he was back he got two stellar matches with Austin, helped get Taker over as a legit main eventer rather than attraction and helped kickstart Attitude. Better proof is Chris Jericho when he was dragged kicking and screaming from RAW in 2005... We never saw him or heard of him on WWE TV for 2 years until the cryptic "SAVE US Y2J" stuff began and people were buzzing, not cos the product was stale but cos they really wanted Jericho back... likewise when he returned at the Rumble to that monster pop.

10 years after his original "return from the wilderness" (ironically against Orton) Jericho is still one of the most over and reliable workers the company has... the key to that longevity was the two years he took away doing Dancing with the Stars, singing with Fozzy and doing the family thing. Now Jericho goes away, even for a few months, we miss him.

We never get the chance to miss Orton cos he is ALWAYS there, and you get the sense that it would take nuclear war to shift Orton from the spot he's in and even then like a cockroach, there'd be Orton right near the top of the card...

To many people who know his history, Randy has led somewhat of a charmed life in that he's been given chance after chance in spite of often shocking behavior, and gotten away with things that other talents would be crucified, buried, fired or worse for (his dad bleeding on Taker or shitting in a bag for example) if they had done it and especially his drug issues.

However, he does seem to have turned it around behaviour wise, pretty much since he remarried so the chances of that 3rd strike seem to have vanished. But in someways, even being fired a few years back could have been a boon to Randy in the long term, he'd have been back by now and hot in that "bad boy" way that Brock failed to capitalize on after his recent failed test.

As it stands 2 years is unrealistic so 1 might do... could WWE do just ONE year without Randy Orton? Not cos of injury, but cos it would force them to think of new ways of booking without reverting to him... it would be a risk, but it's one worth taking and from Orton's perspective, even if it was a years paid sabbatical with his kids etc... it can only help him personally as well as professionally...especially if he is seriously wanting to be a top guy for the next decade, which he could be...

Wow this idea is terrible. From a business standpoint, it makes no sense. Orton taking a year off does nothing if he returns and is exactly the same. The problem is his lack of an actual gimmick, not that he's been around too long. I liked him being a part of the Wyatt Family and thought that they should have ran with that.

 

[Navi]

Randy Orton has done everything that you can basically do in the WWE and then some. Now he is getting older and has an extended family. He just got married a couple of years ago to a woman with 3 boys, they just had a little girl and he has a child from his first marriage.

With him not doing house shows anymore he seems to be cutting back on performing, probably preferring to spend the time at home with the wife and kids. I don't think he has anything to be ashamed about with regards to his career, it's been a pretty good one. He can walk away with his head held high.

Wouldn't blame him at all if he wanted to take some time off, a year or so, maybe come back for one last run and then retire. Unlike Cena, even though Orton come from a long wrestling line, I don't think he feels the same way about it. Cena bleeds WWE, Orton doesn't.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I really don't see how Randy is in a place where he needs to be salvaged. Along with Cena and Brock, Randy is one of the biggest stars in the Post-War Era group of wrestlers. He's done just about everything he possibly can in the WWE and has an extremely popular finisher. Sure his feud with Rusev seems incredibly random and lazily put together, however I really see no problem with Orton at this time. He does work better as a heel although I am fine with him being a face too. The only thing other than a heel turn that I'd want to see are for them to put him into additional feuds that have more layers to them. Say what you will about the Bray Wyatt match and the images of bugs in the ring, but that feud was very entertaining. I want more of that. Beyond that, just have him keep doing what he does best. RKO out of nowhere! Seriously. He's fine.