My Take: Randy Orton

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Randy Orton has grown from being a member of Evolution alongside HHH, Ric Flair, and Batista to one of, if not, the best heels in the WWE. One thing I have noticed about Orton though is he goes through stretches of inconsistency.

2005: After his world championship reign and his failed face turn, he seemed to be wandering around until he chose to face the Undertaker at WM 21. During the nine-month feud, he notched wins over Taker at Summerslam and No Mercy with Undertaker winning their last match at Armageddon in one of the best Hell In a Cell matches in history. Orton gained that cocky attitude and wrestled some of his best matches ever going into 2006.

2006: After his feuds with Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan, Orton was seem to be going nowhere. Enter Edge who told Orton that he hasn't done anything since he won the World Heavyweight Championhip. They aligned to form Rated RKO and feuded with DX for three or four months culminating into one of the best tag team matches in recent memory at New Year's Revolution in 2007.

2007- After Rated RKO broke up, Orton had a short feud with Dusty Rhodes and here comes John Cena. They faced other several times over the next eight months with neither scoring a pinfall. Cena got injured and Orton won the WWE Title from Triple H at No Mercy.

During his title reign, he had victories over HBK, Jericho, Jeff Hardy, John Cena, and Triple H, but they weren't impressive since two ended in DQ. Now he seems to back in the championship hunt with the possibility of winning the Royal Rumble.

So where do you see Randy Orton right now? Is he as good as the competition he faces or has he established himself as a consistent main-event performer with the ability to help mid-carders rise to the main event like he did Jeff Hardy?

 

[J Fine]

I think the only place Orton can go from here is up. I see him winning the royal rumble this year and winning the title at WM 25 but more importantly, I see the legacy stable becoming something really big. I originally thought that making a huge stable that spans over all 3 brands would be a genius idea, but it now seems like it will be kept to half a dozen or less. Either way, Orton is going to hopefully lead this powerful stable as maybe a type of Evolution or 4 horseman kind of thing, assuming creative doesnt screw this whole thing up. He is without a doubt one of the most talented and charismatic heel wrestlers that is currently in the WWE and he will only get bigger.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

Randy Orton, up until now was never a permanent main-eventer, which is why you probably felt that he has never been consistant. When he won the WHC in 2004, WWE realized that they made a mistake which is why he lost it so quick. The best part is that WWE always finds a very good way to put Orton in a spot that will benefit him in the long run. I see Orton maintaining his spot in the main event for a couple of years now and I feel that he will be able to regain the World Heavyweight Championship and possibly winning the Royal Rumble.

 

[CCS]

I think the only place Orton can go from here is up

He cant get much further up than he is now. He's RAW's #1 heel and he's getting ready for a mega push.

I see him winning the royal rumble this year

Wishfull thinking man, Triple H has this one in the bag.

and winning the title at WM 25

He'll be in the match but he wont win it, we're in the begining stages of another Cena reign of terror.

I see the legacy stable becoming something really big. I originally thought that making a huge stable that spans over all 3 brands would be a genius idea, but it now seems like it will be kept to half a dozen or less. Either way, Orton is going to hopefully lead this powerful stable as maybe a type of Evolution or 4 horseman kind of thing

It'll end up being 4 guys. Orton, Rhodes, Dibiasi, and Joe Hennig. I know a lot of people are saying DH Smith will be in the stable, but he wont. He'll be with TJ Wilson tagging on Smackdown. It'll be a good stable for a few years, untill Ted breaks out and becomes huge.

assuming creative doesnt screw this whole thing up

You're not giving them enough credit, they created this whole angle to begin with. In the long run they'll make everything work out.

 

[Rusty]

Randy Orton is currently at the top of the mountain - plain and simple.

Orton is in his prime. He is at the top of his game, and dammit, the guy has improved so much. He is the complete package. He has the right look, the right character, the right body size and the right skills to succeed in the WWE, and he has done so. His WWE Title run was the best reign in the past few years. It was just so damn entertaining, he beat a shitload of opponents, but his opponents always came out looking better than Orton did. I give props to the WWE and to Randy Orton himself for making that very successful.

Randy shouldn't be putting over talent at this stage, because he isn't a veteran yet. This is his time. The guy consistantly puts on good matches and plays his heel role very well, despite being cheered on occasions by the smarky fans in the crowd. The guy even leads his own stable now. And quite frankly, I'm hoping he teaches Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes all the stuff he has learnt, so that hopefully they both become as successful as him one day.

Orton was considered a lower main eventer in 2005/2006, but it wasn't until he had that great reign as WWE Champion in 2007, that he finally become a true and a legitimate main eventer that could hang with the big guys. Randy Orton has also accomplished something hardly any main eventers have done, and he has retained the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, as a heel. I'm also sure that many people want to see Randy Orton face John Cena at this year's Wrestlemania, as both are in their prime and the WWE should capitalize on this opportunity. I could go on and on about how Orton is better than Edge (yes, you heard that right smarks), but I'll leave that for another day.

Randy Orton isn't the past nor the future, but he is the present of the WWE.

 

[andymcg]

Imo , Orton is god.

He just has somthing that no other wwe star seems to have , his look is perfect , his body muscle is perfect (not to little and not to big) , on the mic hes good enough to get his point across , his in ring matches are watchable , and his actuall acting and sellin of moves seems to be superiour to any other wwe star.
At only 27/28 (i think thats his age ??) and already a 1 time World Champ , 2 time WWE Champ , youngest world champ in history and PWI rating him number 1 wrestler of the year last year and also reports hes really matured and sorted his attitude out , he truley will be a huge part of the wwe now , and in the long future.
Legacy can be a huge hit and take him to a stage even higher than now , and also help dibiase and rhodes to if the creative team can get it right. I would even go as far as saying if WWE can write Ortons charcter to perfection and not screw it up in the next few years he could go on to be as big as Stone Cold or The Rock for this era.

 

[image1986]

Orton is absolutely great at this stage of his career and yes he is the phototype for the look and mic skills of a wrestler plus he's charecter is great but the only problem he has is his charecter is on the borderline between face and heel. Sure he punt kicks faces like rvd, cena hbk and batista but on the other hand he attacks heels as well like diabiase and last night vince mcmahon so some cheer him. I love orton but I don't think he's the number one heel in wwe yet but he's definately the coolest one. Edge and jericho are ahead cuz they draw more heat and they come off as total scumbags and have more interaction with the crowd to be hated. If instead of punting vince he punted stephanie then he would draw tremendous heat

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Randy Orton hasnt even reached his prime yet. Most forget he is only 28 years old. If he's reached his prime as of now, then he is in for a short career. Something I don't see happening. Orton is the best thing going right now. Plain and simple. The way he has learned to work a crowd is fantastic. A feat he learned from Ric Flair, The Undertaker, and *gasp* Triple H. He can thank those three people for the awesome career he is going to have. People can talk about how Edge is some ungodly heel, Orton is one of the best ever, even better than Edge. who can step into an anti-hero role at the snap of a finger. Good thngs are to come from the man called Randy Orton. This man will lead us into the next boom period.

 

[Mattyboy]

I wouldnt class Orton as a heel personally, I think he is role seems to be more similar to Austins when the 3;16 thing came about-Orton does what he wants to who he wants, and the crowd cant help but cheer him.

I just watched Raw on youtube and the fans are chanting RKO as he threatens Vince!Thats star power imo-a guy who will constantly keep you guessing as to whats he's gonna do.WWE would be lacking if not for Orton, Y2J and HBK at the moment.

I do think he'll either nail the rr, or end up in a feud with Vince. Maybe Vince could create his own legacy stable lol. Or get their dads on em!

 

[TwistofRKO]

Randy Orton has the brightest future of anybody in the WWE. He has the next two biggest futures with him in his stable, but they can't compete with the man. Rhodes needs some mass, not necessarily pumped up, but a bigger frame than he has now. DiBiase has a great future, too, and may be able to rival him, but I still think RKO gets the edge. He has the absolutely PERFECT look. He's a good-looking guy (I'm not gay), and he has the evilest eyes I've even seen. Combined with his ripped physique, his excellent mic skills, his ability to put on a great match, and one of "those" finishers you cant' help but think he'll get a push to get on the All-time A-level. I just can't help but think that. He has the foundation history, father in wrestling, youngest champion, defeated legends, that can always be used. To me, he looks like the champion. He has loads of charisma and will have a huge future in the industry.

 

[midgensa]

I think a lot of hit this on the head here, Randy Orton has a future that can only be fucked up by Randy Orton himself.
He has the look, has the drive, has the in-ring ability and has the ability to get the crowd to eat out of the palm of his hand.
I anticipate many more solid feuds with the likes of Cena, Batista, Hardy, etc. But I am not sold on him just being a heel. He is definitely starting to move into TWEENER category as the fans want to cheer him, despite his overly-heel persona. I am so eager to see where they go from last night's amazing ending of the show.
I really did not see that coming, and that is something the WWE does not do very often (as far as being unpredictable). This angle could be the one that launches Orton to the moon and may actually make him more important to the company than Cena, Jericho, Triple H and the like.

 

[Doubleg60]

When I was watching Orton and Vince in the ring it felt like it was the Austin vs. McMahon in the Garden from 1997 all over again. When Randy actually knocked Vince down I was shocked, then when he kicked him I was flabbergasted. I never saw that coming in a million years.

 

[CENAtion]

What can i say that hasnt already been said about The Legend Killer. He does have the whole package to a T. Even his music is perfect for him. I feel alot of superstars dont have the right music for their gimmick. With Orton's i think it is perfect for his character alot like HHH's. The only person who can screw Randy Orton is Randy Orton. If he keeps his head on straight, the sky is the limit for this man. I think the WWE is getting poised to enter a boom period again, the first since the Attitude Era and they will be led by John Cena and Randy Orton. Could this be the second coming of Austin/Rock? I think it just might be. They both are just entering their prime years and will surely have many memorable feuds and mathces together in the years to come.

Last night was just a wow moment. I dont think anyone expected Orton to take out Vince. I think we have the Rumble winner in Orton. In the end i think we are gonna learn that Stephanie is actually working with The Legacy to help build their group even more.

And Cena vs. Orton at WrestleMania 25 is going to be epic and I'm going to be there to see it first hand.

 

[cityofrain]

Wrestlemania 25 will match Cena vs. Orton...if they want to blow the roof off. With the younger crowd and some women pulling for Cena. Then the male majority and some women pulling for Orton. I think it would be a very volitile match for the crowd. Obviously it looks like the Cena vs Michaels angle may play out into Wrestlemania, but I hope not. In Orton you have a guy who is getting better literally every RAW episode. It's fun to watch a guy just start into his prime. I hope they don't play a multiple personality angle with the attack on Vince. Foget multiple personalities...I just want a cruel and calculated Orton. Much more effective. Keep going with the "I'm bigger than everybody in this business" theme. The stable is nice to see again for the sake of having one. I think what it's really going to do is keep improving Orton's mic skills and keep furthering this dominate figure image. Now would be a good time for a title run with Orton. Cena doesn't need the title to keep the fans he has already. And he's never going to gain more, unless out-of-nowhere he improves his wrestling a lot. The guy will be Vince's face of wrestling no matter what. But you give Orton the belt and let him run with it...you could see something special. He is the future of wrestling. I think now would be a good time to put him in the biggest spotlight for a while.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Randy Orton has grown from being a member of Evolution alongside HHH, Ric Flair, and Batista to one of, if not, the best heels in the WWE.

One of, yes. Best, no. Randy Orton still has a bit to go, but he is on the right path. I believe Randy Orton to be one of, if not the, best heel on Raw right now. But that's not saying a whole lot, as Raw is in major lack of heels..

One thing I have noticed about Orton though is he goes through stretches of inconsistency.

That's likely tied in with him going through stretches of believing he's "the company" and having a cocky real-life attitude that gets him put in the dog house, and/or suspended.

2005: After his world championship reign and his failed face turn, he seemed to be wandering around until he chose to face the Undertaker at WM 21. During the nine-month feud, he notched wins over Taker at Summerslam and No Mercy with Undertaker winning their last match at Armageddon in one of the best Hell In a Cell matches in history.

Personally, I thought that Hell in a Cell match was pure shit. I don't even remember most of it.

Orton gained that cocky attitude and wrestled some of his best matches ever going into 2006.

Much like the Hell of a Cell match, I also don't remember a lot of Orton's 06 matches. I think that was the year he played off Eddie Guerrero's death, and feuded with Mysterio going into Mania.. then feuded with Kurt Angle afterwards, only to "get his ankle broken" (suspended) though. Not his best couple of monthes if you ask me.

2006: After his feuds with Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan, Orton was seem to be going nowhere. Enter Edge who told Orton that he hasn't done anything since he won the World Heavyweight Championhip. They aligned to form Rated RKO and feuded with DX for three or four months culminating into one of the best tag team matches in recent memory at New Year's Revolution in 2007.

While I loved this storyline and felt it gave Orton a boost of energy back that people like Hulk Hogan sucked out of him. I believe in the end, the DX/Rated R.K.O. storyline ended badly just because of Triple H. getting injured again. Still a great storyline, just a bad ended.

2007- After Rated RKO broke up, Orton had a short feud with Dusty Rhodes

That was another "Let's try to add to his 'Legend Killer' status" situations. Plus it was a way to bring Cody Rhodes up way too early.

and here comes John Cena. They faced other several times over the next eight months with neither scoring a pinfall.

Didn't John Cena pin Randy Orton at Summerslam, or was that a tap-out? Either way, I think you're putting too much on assumption in trying to make people believe neither defeated the other.. when that's not true.

During his title reign, he had victories over HBK, Jericho, Jeff Hardy, John Cena, and Triple H, but they weren't impressive since two ended in DQ.

Weren't impressive? Yes they were. He defeated Shawn Michaels, (albeit H.B.K. couldn't use the Superkick) followed by Chris Jericho. (who'd just returned - albeit J.B.L. got the match thrown out) He then completely got dominated against Jeff Hardy, but one single R.K.O. won him the match, then he went on to retain his Championship not just against Cena in a single's match.. but then against Cena & Triple H. at WrestleMania.

That's pretty fricken impressive to me.

Now he seems to back in the championship hunt with the possibility of winning the Royal Rumble.

I think he will, actually. 99.9% sure of it now. It's pretty much his "savior card" from being fired. Some new type of storyline will come up stating that he's earned an automatic Championship match at Mania, and can't be fired until after he's had that match.

So where do you see Randy Orton right now?

I see him becoming the next Champion, and leading a faction that'll soon likely gain a McMahon at the helm along side him. I believe Randy Orton will have his best year yet, this year, and it'll begin at WrestleMania where I firmly believe he'll defeat John Cena. (or whomever the Champion may be)

Is he as good as the competition he faces or has he established himself as a consistent main-event performer with the ability to help mid-carders rise to the main event like he did Jeff Hardy?

I think the fans single-handedly helped Jeff Hardy. Noone other than Hardy marks could've done that.

I also believe Randy Orton is one of the best wrestlers on Raw right now, so absolutely do I think he's as good, if not better, than his competition on Raw.

 

[GameOver]

Orton has everything going for him now except a lack of competition, he has the look of a god, the demeanor of a (Heel) Jake The Snake. While his wrestling isn't all that great, the few moves he does he does well and with alot of impact. And most Legend Main Eventers end up having a 10 move tops repetoire.

The one thing i don't particularly care for is his Zzzz mic work. His mic segments are sooooo slow and boring.

There's a problem atm with his place in the scheme of things, he has limited opposition of the same calibur, but thats an issue for most main eventers.

Who's his competition? Jericho, HBK, Cena. that's basically it. Batista when he returns, there's a fued already setup, but Batista is all power and no substance.

Once say Ted Dibiase gets a couple more yrs under his belt he'll be a main eventer no doubt, less he stuffs it up of course

 

[CelticPride101]

RKO is the man hands down. i think that collarbone injury is almost the best thing that happend to him in his career. before that injury he had the title beat jericho,hbk,hardy.trips and cena at wm but to all of us his title reign never seemed that significant.everyone had a comment to make about him "hes not reliable with the belt he might destroy another hotel room" or "nah orton is gonna be a paper champ and noone will remember his title reign" or another good one "orton's mic skills are mediocore" BUT when he got injured and stayed on the sidelines for awhile some people kind of forgot about him he started cutting really good promo's here and there punted cm punk in the head and gave a great promo shitting on raw's champions.now hes back and has "the keys to the car" hes the man now.he has a stable that will be awsome now.he has a great feud awaiting him with mr mchmahon.so basically what im saying is orton's the man and 2009 WILL be his year as long as he keeps this up nothing will stop him.

 

[randy ortons #1 fan]

orton is the best hands down. he has the best mic skills in the wwe right now i dont care what anyone says. he is the best shape of his life he is the next stone cold. i think all the people who say hes not a good heel because some people cheer for him but when a heel is so good that people cheer for him only means he is the greatest heel since the rock and hhh. with the rumble this sunday i expect him to win then go and defeat cena at wm 25 and finally prove he is better than cena since he has never beat him fairly. i think they screwed up his title run last year by making him look like an opportunist. i never liked orton till wm 24 and now he is my favorate. there is never a boring moment when he is on the mic or in the ring

 

[andymcg]

Guy above me has a good point about when your that good a heel you get cheered out of respect that your are so good. Look at edge at last years rumble against mysterio , he got cheered out of the buildin and mysterio got boo'd.

Now though i dont see Orton as a heel , hes more of a austin type charcter were hell do what he wants and dont give a crap what people say , hes evolved into a "Tweener" , not a heel or a face but just someone who dont give a crap.

Also the guy above me sayin Ortons the next austin , agree 100% , Orton is gawnae bring the wwe into the next boom period since the attitude era , and seein wwe jst drew a 3.9 ratein , i expect this was due to Vince coming back , if wwe can rite this Vince vs Orton fued to perfection , wwe rateings will soar threw the roof.

 

[image1986]

I don't know about being cheered makes u a greater heel then the rock cuz the whole point is to draw heat. Rock became face cuz he was entertaining and fans started to cheer and he lost the heat. I think randy is in the same scenario because no matter what he does he gonna be cheered for it. Like I said before he a cool heel which causes him to be a tweaker and Its not his fault its just how it works sometimes. I don't think randy has a lack of competition but the same faces being pushed in main event spots. Wwe need to experiment with their mid carders to see if they draw as main eventers if they want to be spontaneous. Randy charecter was stale til his return last year and he is on a roll. Randy has been able to evolve his charecter and that alone will build his success

 

[D-Man]

The "Age of Orton" has truly begun.

This statement has been repeated a few times in this thread but cannot go unnoticed: Randy Orton has every tool needed to be a top heel in our present-day WWE. With his well-maintained and chiseled physique, appealing looks, the legacy of his last name, and his on-camera attitude, he has all of the attributes needed to be a top heel performer.

Ever since his debut, he has been marked for greatness. Backstage, he may have a cocky attitude. But he's still young and learning his place in the locker room. Just like a new employee in any company, everyone makes mistakes while they're learning the ropes. In the past, he needed to pay his dues, but no one could deny his skills. Therefore, he was rushed into the spotlight. Vince needed someone to take Brock Lesnar's accolade of "Youngest Champion in History" away, and Orton was the best choice. Now Orton is the youngest WHC in WWE history. As a result, in an industry like professional wrestling, it's difficult NOT to become a bit arrogant at times about your position with the company... especially when you're only 24 years old.

I have always believed that you need specific qualities to become a long-term and remembered WWE champion. You need a look that sets you apart from everyone else, tolerable in-ring skills, exceptional mic skills, ACTING ABILITY, and my #1 quality: a believable, rebellious, bad attitude towards authority. Wrestling evolves with the current times. The youth of our present world revolves around rebellion and bad attitudes towards authority. One way or another, the WWE has used their General Managers or owners of the company as props for their top performers to rebel against in order to build a connection and relate to the fans. If they are not believable, the audience cannot relate and make a connection with them. That's why the top performers over the past 10 years (i.e. The Rock, Austin, Triple H, Jericho, etc.) didn't become iconic until they battled with their bosses. Now, it's only fitting that Orton follows in the same footsteps. I think it is an interesting twist how they're using the same cookie-cutter storyline of employee versus boss except this time we have a babyface boss versus a heel employee. He's battling his bosses and using his "medical ailment" as a way to battle the system itself... and the people HATE him for it.

Granted, people may cheer him from time to time, but becoming a force to be reckoned with in professional wrestling is a matter of skill and TIMING. In a particular situation, a heel may be cheered (i.e. wrestling in their home town, making a face-turn, doing something humorous), but make no mistake, the WWE is molding Orton into a top heel performer… as evil as the stare on his face when he walks down the entrance ramp.

With all of this, Orton will finally be able to main event a Wrestlemania in a one-on-one matchup where he is the main focal point. And Orton isn't headlining just any Wrestlemania; it's the 25th anniversary. So far, it includes the induction of arguably the greatest wrestler of all time into the Hall of Fame. It also includes a Golden Globe award and (possibly) Academy Award winning actor wrestling in a match against a future hall of famer in Chris Jericho. This match is going to occur during a time where wrestling may actually be praised due to the popularity and notoriety of "The Wrestler." More people are going to tune into wrestling just to see if it related to the movie. And who is main eventing the biggest event of the year while all of this is going on??

Knowing all of this, the WWE is putting a lot of confidence into Randy Orton and we should all do the same. He is the present AND the future of the sport that we all love.

 

[Jane]

RAW has needed a heel who can represent the brand for a while now. It has been JBL, Orton, and, more recently, Jericho for a while. None have really stood out like Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Shawn Micheals and Batista. But I think Orton has finally taken up the mantle of number one heel and face of the brand. Legacy will be like Evolution, the biggest thing in the company during their time. Then, when thats over, Orton will be on top of his game. He has all the makings of a great heel. The cockiness, the skills, the intensity, the determination and a dedication to the company. He's a proven main eventer and title holder, so I think it's time he ruled the WWE. Winning the Rumble is another stepping stone to the top. I'm still confused about what they plan for Wrestlemania, but I think he will win, making him possibly the first heel to win two straight title matches at Wrestlemania.

 

[KillBill]

Randy Orton could be the best heel EVER< but the fans won't allow it. These days are different, its hard to differentiate. Orton is doing everything he can, being pure evil, to be the best, but he still gets cheers. I think if he took out shane, the kicked steph in the head, that could put him over the top. He is the best heel I've seen since possibly Jake Roberts. Thats a man he should study, he seems to be just as calculating, but he still gets cheers. Roberts I feel was the best heel ever, pure evil, pure hate, with slapping women, among other things. Thats what Orton should become, cause he can do it.

 

[pyrusane]

I've seen a lot of posts calling Orton the "next SCSA" or the "next Rock." I can understand this to an extent. There are similarities to both.

The Rock started out very vanilla, very plain, very "Maivia." Does anyone remember Orton on Smackdown, trying to find a tag team partner for a match and striking out because he kept losing all of his tag team matches? No? That's because it wasn't very interesting. How about his first finisher? No? It was the tried and true OVW dropkick. They were trying to shove Randy down our throats as a lovable-loser face, and the response was a collective yawn.

It wasn't until he injured his shoulder, and began interrupting matches and promos to bring us updates on his recovery progress that Randy started to get noticed. And when he finally returned? It was as part of Evolution, which helped him gain credibility very quickly as a heel. Much like the NoD helped a young Rock overcome his vanilla beginnings.

His total lack of respect for authority (or anyone else for that matter) is reminiscent of one Stone Cold Steve Austin. Just like Stone Cold, Randy is as likely to RKO his own tag-team partner or ally as his opponent, because he just doesn't care.

But Orton brings something unique to the table that neither Austin nor the Rock had...unpredictability. With Austin or the Rock, you pretty much knew what to expect. You knew what the promo would sound like (and it would be awesome), you for the most part knew what the match was going to look like. With Austin, if someone was in the ring with him they were either going to drink a beer or get a stunner. Or both. With the Rock, they were going to get beaten down worse by his promo than by the match itself. There were very few surprises with either men, though.

When Orton is on the screen, I find myself glued to it, because I have absolutely no clue what he is going to do. He plays the role with complete conviction, supreme confidence, and savage intensity. We don't believe Orton as the Legend Killer because the announcers call him that, or because creative shoves it down our throats; we believe in Randy as the Legend Killer because Randy believes in Randy as the Legend Killer.

So I don't see Orton as the next Rock or the next Austin...I see Randy Orton as the first Randy Orton, and its going to be damn hard for anyone to fill the spot he is making for himself right now.