Randy Orton - Safe To Say... No One Cares Anymore

[newteenforbb]

Is it time now for the WWE to finally realize what many on the internet have been saying for years? The fact that Randy Orton is not nearly the important and red hot superstar that the company would like him to be. I think the time has come where this opinion should stop being just an opinion and be realized as fact.

(A). The ratings for Smackdown have decreased substantially since he was drafted and then won the World Heavyweight Championship. But now the rating has risen to record numbers? And the only thing that changed is that he lost the World Heavyweight Championship. Coincidence?

(B). Smackdown house shows and tapings have seen a drop in ticket sales, to the point where arenas are not even at 50% capacity for shows. You can't call someone a draw if the seats are empty.

(C). The buzz surrounding him has completely died. Everyone now talks about the RAW storylines, especially that of CM Punk and the Smackdown storylines involving Henry and the likes of Sin Cara. I don't even hear the name Orton mentioned when people discuss what they are enjoying about the WWE these days.

(D). I can't really speak on merchandise sales because WWE doesn't release those numbers but if people are not going to the shows, I can't imagine the Apex Predator shirts are flying off of the stands. And last I checked, Randy's DVD (only out about 3 weeks) has fallen pretty hard on amazon's list of most wanted/purchased DVD and Blu Ray titles.

So, on top of all of that, we have the individual who lacks promo skills and has gone out to the ring to do the same routine and same basic match for over a year now. The only difference now is that I think WWE might be getting the hint.

What do you guys think? Will WWE finally realize that Randy Orton is hardly the top guy on the blue brand, let alone one of the top guys in the company?

 

[gamma2008]

Randy really just doesn't need to be a damn face. His personality, his in ring style, it all lends to being an excellent heel. WWE is just short on faces, but they are building up Sheamus, could he take over the Blue team as top face? It's possible, he gets the pop, he's on a roll. I kinda wish this two Sin Cara thing would get sorted out so Mystico could go face, and Daniel Bryan needs to get into a feud to build credibility as another top face and WHC candidate with that briefcase.

 

[bradtech519]

I miss the good ole Legend Killer, and cocky badass. Seems like WWE tries to turn everyone into a Hogan/Cena type of face now in the PG era. Best thing about Stonecold was he was Stonecold.. He may stun the guy in the ring with him that just helped him out for the hell of it. What made it best was he was the first guy to do something like that.

 

[H33LTurn]

(A). The ratings for Smackdown have decreased substantially since he was drafted and then won the World Heavyweight Championship. But now the rating has risen to record numbers? And the only thing that changed is that he lost the World Heavyweight Championship. Coincidence?

Yeah, "because of Henry". Who did he win the title off of?

(B). Smackdown house shows and tapings have seen a drop in ticket sales, to the point where arenas are not even at 50% capacity for shows. You can't call someone a draw if the seats are empty.

Smackdown has been on a decline for a while now. Randy Orton is one person on the roster and hes on tv about 10-20 minutes out of an entire show.

(C). The buzz surrounding him has completely died. Everyone now talks about the RAW storylines, especially that of CM Punk and the Smackdown storylines involving Henry and the likes of Sin Cara. I don't even hear the name Orton mentioned when people discuss what they are enjoying about the WWE these days.

Everyones talking about CM Punk because its the freshest thing to happen to the WWE since the Nexus angle that took place nearly a year ago.

So, on top of all of that, we have the individual who lacks promo skills and has gone out to the ring to do the same routine and same basic match for over a year now. The only difference now is that I think WWE might be getting the hint.

Lol, "lacks promo skills". Let me guess, his monotone voice? The same one Cody RHodes uses before everyone kisses his ass about what another astounding promo he gave.

What do you guys think? Will WWE finally realize that Randy Orton is hardly the top guy on the blue brand, let alone one of the top guys in the company?

No, they did whats good for business and took advantage of a situation. You dont have too many huge guys that have been with the company for over a decade and have never won the title.

 

[Benz19]

Is it a joeincedence with a c that the rating has risen after henry wins the whc? no, orton is not fresh, henry incredibly is after 15 years as this is brand new what we are seeing

 

[Foshinzo]

I've been saying this since his face turn, which never made any sense to me. I think they wanted him to be the new Stone Cold; you know, the anti-hero of the WWE. But, they tried to make him a full-fledged good guy and it dropped the reason people were cheering for him. He was like Batman; Batman does illegal things in the name of justice, e.g. he's an anti-hero. Orton uses heel tactics to take out other heel wrestlers, e.g. he's an anti-hero. I didn't care for Orton then, either, but at least he was getting a pretty good pop and his character was cool, in a way. Now, he's just so boring.

I've always felt that ever since Orton picked up the Viper gimmick and now onto the Apex Predator thing, he's been a one trick pony. He cuts the same promo, wrestles the same match, and well...it's just all the same. I honestly feel like Orton is more of a one note than Cena. In my eyes, he's a what, eleven time champion (?) that should have been a 3 time champion at best. Orton isn't bad, he's just boring and a one trick pony.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Without Orton Mark Henry's monster run would not have worked as effectivley. Orton is one of the top guys in the WWE right now and has been on the forefront of the main event scene 2nd or 3rd only to Cena in the last couple of years.

Marh Henry being allowed to domiante someone with the stature of Orton, is what's making Henry's monster push convincing ... that he can run all over a guy like Orton.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

WWE did on SD what they do a lot of times on Raw or in the company as a whole, they put the belt on some one who they wanted to see headline the company not who was necessarily wanted by the audience. The fact is the person who should have been champ was Christian, they didn't even give him a month to see what he was capable of as a face champion. He only got two fucking days as champ. That must have turned off plenty of fans. And I think that having Orton be the man to take it off him might have created a backlash against him that he just wasn't able to shake or ever will.

I'm glad that Henry got his shot, I'm not sure if he'll have a long run or even an interesting one but it shows they are willing to take a shot on some one new. He wouldn't be my first choice but I'll wait and see how they handle it.

 

[XXJJ]

Without Orton Mark Henry's monster run would not have worked as effectivley. Orton is one of the top guys in the WWE right now and has been on the forefront of the main event scene 2nd or 3rd only to Cena in the last couple of years.

Marh Henry being allowed to domiante someone with the stature of Orton, is what's making Henry's monster push convincing ... that he can run all over a guy like Orton.

Agreed... What gave Henry title run credibility was him beating Orton. It makes it more interesting what happens next. The hype will die down a little.

I'm shocked that they got a 2.15. That is a higher number than the Live Supershow where they advertised Cena, Orton/Christian in a cage, and Punk & triple H.

I'm thinking though this was a 1 time thing. I would be shocked if they pull another plus 2 rating this week.

 

[XXJJ]

And everything the OP said about Orton and SD you can say the same thing for Raw currently. Attendance and ratings are down for Raw too.

WWE just isn't has popular like it was during its glory days. A lot has changed like economy etc. Orton is still one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE. Their really is no one on the current roster that can bring back SD like it was 5-8 years ago. Its a different world.

 

[beckyh]

SD lost Jericho. He was definitely one of the best promo guys on either roster. I am not a huge fan of his but he kept things going. The Miz will prolly fill that role later in his career.

SD lost Undertaker. He was always a good draw.

SD lost Edge. He was very skilled at talking and fighting in the ring. You could give him a piece of Swiss Cheese and he could work wonders with it. Call it his new manager and make people believe it...lol.

Orton is simply not good at promos and I don't think he ever will be in the future. SD needs someone with a LOUD mouth to shake things up.

As much as I like Orton, I do think there is a correlation between him moving to SD and the lowered ratings. The Superstars that really stay with an audience can work well in and out of the ring. He is simply not at that level.

Which is a pity.

 

[badnewzxl]

You wanna help SD! ratings? move it off Friday Nights; ppl aren't sitting in their houses on a Friday Night; they're out having fun.

Orton is excellent; every ppv match he's had this year has been DAMN good; better than anyone else (sorry Punk; you & Ryan v. Show & Kane pushed you out of the running in this one. Cena, you've had two GREAT ones, but both were with Punk.). Everyone acts as though WWE went full blown face with Orton, but I still see him do those fucked up things to ppl he's always done (look at what he did to Cody last week, what he did to Christian at Summerslam, what he did to Nexus, and what he did to Jericho. It's not his nor WWE's fault that the fans like Orton; they like him bc he's seemingly unstoppable. I think they should continue to build him as this Apex Predator and then turn him loose on Cena

 

[TheLambofDeth]

Is Orton like laying dude's girlfriends or kicking their parents or something? But cause all this random hate is uncalled for...and more than a little silly.

No one...NO ONE is going to give SD a consistent rating increase because:
A. It's taped
B. It comes Friday Nights

SD ratings are just about the same when Edge, Jericho, Batista, Taker or whoever else was the top guy on that show. I don't remember Christian lighting the ratings on fire during his reign...or anyone else for that matter. Even if Cena went to SD besides a initial ratings spike, they would descend right back to medicority. And i'm not even going to address the nouse show comment because it's just asanine.

Ok, so people complain that Orton is being pushed down their throat, then once he puts over a vetern CLEAN..they still complain because...he isn't being pushed down their throat...?! The SD storylines are for the most part always second to RAW's and no one would be talking about Henry if Orton didn't make him look like a million $. Seriously, me helped make people believe Henry is a credible monster. He made Chrisitan look legitimate as a main event player for the first time in the WWE, and not to mention the beating of Rhodes was on more than a few people's tounges. Do you even watch SD? It doesn't matter what Orton does, the crowd pretty much goes bat**** for it. So...something he's doing must be working. He's on the B show, with opponents that don't nearly stack up to the RAW roster and he's still getting the biggest pops and making everyone around him look better.

Yes, Orton has been doing the same "Viper" business for a while... taking that into condideration he still commands the second most consitsent pops in the WWE. (Triple H may have surpassed him but he has "Vetern" status) Could Orton work on his character a bit? Yes. Have his promos been a little dry lately? Sure. But the guy is still one of the most over guys in the company and pretty much acadmeic at putting on a great match with anyone.

It's one thing not to like a guy, but being a idiot is completely different.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I don't know, this sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me. I think Mark Henry is getting a bit too much credit for the jump in ratings. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure his title win had a decent impact on the ratings spike, but I'm pretty sure there other factors to be considered. For one, the weather has been changing a lot lately, maybe more kids were staying in this Friday than usual. If you remember, the ratings for Smackdown were pretty decent up until the Spring/Summer started.

Or maybe an ass ton of people just wanted to see Mark Henry. Who knows? But I can say with a pretty large amount of certainty that Orton isn't the problem. I was at Raw tonight and although Orton never actually came out, when they aired the commercial for his DVD he got one of the biggest pops of the night. I know the internet has turned on Orton because he went face and it's never "cool" to like the good guys, but the large majority of wrestling audiences still love Orton whether you want to admit it or not.

I don't know who or what is responsible for the ratings spike, but I'm confident that Orton has fuck all to do with the dip prior. I'm willing to bet that Smackdown sees another drop off this coming Friday.

 

[justinsayne]

I went to a Smackdown! house show a few months ago, the main event was a Orton defending the WHC is a triple threat match against Sheamus & Christian... When Orton came out the arena erupted, so this bullshit about no one wants to see Oroton is just that, Bullshit. Despite what you want everyone to beleive Orton is over, people want to see him, however unlike RAW brand, he's the only big draw on the SD! roster, & in a time when money is tight, it's going to be hard for someone to take their family to a WWE show much less one with as weak of a roster as SD!. Face it folks, Rhodes, Bryan, Christian, etc. may be loved by the IWC, but they're not strong draws to main stream fans. Fortunately it appears WWE has done away with the brand split, at least to some extent. So Orton is going to have to take the load of being the sole big draw for the SD! brand as much anymore.

 

[The Future Rises]

I don't like Orton as much as the next guy. But just like Val Venis refers to us we're the "10 percenters". We don't mean that much to the WWE. And the majority of the casual WWE fans the ones who aren't apart of the IWC seem to like him a lot. I think it's safe to say that just like John Cena most of Orton's fanbase is little kids and teenage girls. That's one of the reasons a lot of people dislike him. But me personally.. I dislike him because of his slow, stale character that he can't manage to put on a good promo while portraying. Not only that but Orton is a horrible storyteller. It looks like he can't get that smile off of his face sometimes.

Seriously. I think it's time to take "The Viper" gimmick and actually make it entertaining. There's a reason why Steve Austin doesn't want Orton to draw comparisons to him. And that's Orton's current lame character.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I don't like Orton as much as the next guy. But just like Val Venis refers to us we're the "10 percenters". We don't mean that much to the WWE. And the majority of the casual WWE fans the ones who aren't apart of the IWC seem to like him a lot. .

If I told the shareholders or my boss that the 10% of your audience do not matter I will probably get fired on the spot. 10% of your audience means a lot to the company's bottom line you lose them you are are talking about a 10% loss in merchandise sales, PPV buy rates, ratings, and attendance.

If 10% of that audience did not attend Wrestlemania the attendance number would be from 65,000 to 58,500.

Back to topic:

Also the boost in ratings probaby represents more that fans just want something fresh and new. Orton has been dominant for so long its just so refreshing too see another person as the top guy in a brand. Will it help in the long run? Hard to say but for now people are liking this new angle.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Oh this 10% bullshit gets me, it's allways brought down to that. Jesus do you people not hear what people are saying, Nate and Justin both said the dude gets huge pops at the shows. It's allways the same argument tossed in with another name. Oh so and so are doing this, lets hate them. Randy has been on shit lists for years

But lets get this straight, this isn't the 10%ers we are talking about. It's people who don't like Orton. If no one cared about Orton he wouldn't be Main eventing a show with 9 main event titles under his fucking belt at the age of 31.

Orton may not be the best on the mic, but it's better than 75% of the roster. If that's the only argument that's going on in the thread then... you are about 4 years to late.

 

[The Champ]

Is it time now for the WWE to finally realize what many on the internet have been saying for years? The fact that Randy Orton is not nearly the important and red hot superstar that the company would like him to be. I think the time has come where this opinion should stop being just an opinion and be realized as fact.

(A). The ratings for Smackdown have decreased substantially since he was drafted and then won the World Heavyweight Championship. But now the rating has risen to record numbers? And the only thing that changed is that he lost the World Heavyweight Championship. Coincidence?

The ratings increased after he won the title at SummerSlam, so you're wrong.

WWE Smackdown on Friday, August 19 scored a 1.83 rating, up slightly compared to the previous two weeks, and below a 1.99 rating on July 29 for Triple H's first appearance as COO.

Also, you can certainly factor in Edge's retirement, along with Rey Mysterio leaving SmackDown as two huge reasons why the ratings might have decreased after the draft.

(B). Smackdown house shows and tapings have seen a drop in ticket sales, to the point where arenas are not even at 50% capacity for shows. You can't call someone a draw if the seats are empty.

Maybe because SmackDown isn't interesting right now? Orton's been the top guy on the brand for months, the tapings only had bad sales over the last couple of weeks.

(C). The buzz surrounding him has completely died. Everyone now talks about the RAW storylines, especially that of CM Punk and the Smackdown storylines involving Henry and the likes of Sin Cara. I don't even hear the name Orton mentioned when people discuss what they are enjoying about the WWE these days.

The buzz where? On the internet? Where everyone hates the good guy and turns on whoever becomes successful? How about you listen to the buzz in the audience and judge for yourself?

(D). I can't really speak on merchandise sales because WWE doesn't release those numbers but if people are not going to the shows, I can't imagine the Apex Predator shirts are flying off of the stands. And last I checked, Randy's DVD (only out about 3 weeks) has fallen pretty hard on amazon's list of most wanted/purchased DVD and Blu Ray titles.

I might give you this one, but then again, who sells merchandise on SmackDown besides Cara? And for what it's worth, I did see someone with an RKO shirt at the mall a couple weeks ago.

So, on top of all of that, we have the individual who lacks promo skills and has gone out to the ring to do the same routine and same basic match for over a year now. The only difference now is that I think WWE might be getting the hint.

What do you guys think? Will WWE finally realize that Randy Orton is hardly the top guy on the blue brand, let alone one of the top guys in the company?

Except that he's actually improved tremendously in the ring in 2011 and, while his promos can be boring sometimes, the crowd clearly digs them. That's the part of this that you're ignoring more than anything. The crowd LOVES Randy Orton, and that's obvious any and every time he comes out. The fans turned him face. WWE didn't want to turn him face, their idiotic plan was to turn Rhodes and Ted DiBiase face. The fans decided otherwise, and that's what led to this huge Orton face push. Until he starts getting lackluster reactions, which won't happen anytime soon, I say they continue it.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

I think it's unfair to blame Orton solely for the slump in SD ratings and or quality. While I agree he's not the most likeable guy, he has been consistent for WWE. And he is the future of WWE, as he has years left in him(provided nothing major happens). The slump in SD has more to do with WWE as a whole becoming more stale and not listening to their fans anymore. You can't point the finger at one single guy as being responsible for WWE not being popular anymore. That would be an assessment none of us are qualified to make.


Orton definately could improve his mic skills and in ring work, but overall he's the guy WWE has chose to carry SD now. Without him, SD would lose possibly the biggest name on their show. With Edge, Jericho, Taker, Batista, and Rey Mysterio no longer being there to give them star power, Orton remains one of the few ppl fans go to SD to see. While I do think Orton is overrated to some degree, he is no doubt vital to SD keeping what loyal viewers they have.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Where do internet fan boys come up with this shit? I dare you, any of you, to give me an example of Randy Orton getting a negative reaction since turning face. You can't, because it hasn't happened.

Is he an internet darling? Of course not, he turnedz teh face! Morons.

People care. You may not care, but 99% of the audience does. He gets the biggest pop of the night at just about any event. He's popular with adult males as well as kids and women.

The ratings for Smackdown just saw a huge jump. If you think that's because he lost the title, you're insane. Orton and Henry are having quite the feud, and both men are making Smackdown a more interesting program. To say a guy as popular as Randy Orton is killing ratings is beyond stupid. Seriously, you sound like idiots.

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

Love or Hate Orton,

lets all remember that he's headlined WM's
lets then remember that Vince loves Orton's hot body
lets remember that Orton is hands down the best wrestler in the entire WWE (YES BETTER THAN PUNK, CENA, BRYAN!)

The issue with Smackdowns ratings is people are too fucking lazy to watch the show and they base if their going to watch it off of the spoilers posted on Tuesday. I for one do not read the spoilers because I enjoy watching Smackdown. I like the different characters, the matches, the action and the story lines. I have ALWAYS been an Orton fan, even when he was put against Christian and took the title from him after a few days. Simply put without Orton on the other end of that Feud, Christian would still be a middle card jobzilla putting over younger superstars.

Orton still sells merchandise, Orton is still the backbone of Smackdown, Orton is still one of Vince and Triple H's "Guys" so get the fuck over your personal issue with him, and enjoy what he brings to the table. He's a great entertainer. period.

 

[IT Factor]

This is about as ridiculous as all the anti-Cena topics in the RAW forum. And the two are basically the same; big draws that get alot of negative reaction online, but, get massive face pops at the events. It's a case of reality vs. online consensus. Which makes things complicated and not easily defined.

I went to a live RAW event in 2008 when Orton was still a major heel and he was already being heavily cheered no matter what he did. He could've stabbed a little kid and still been cheered. In all honesty, Orton was revered and hailed as a great wrestler and entertainer when he was a heel. People loved the Legend Killer. Then, once he turned face, people kept claiming he sucks or doesn't belong in the main events. None of which is an accurate position in my view. Orton is still the same character minus The Legend Killer and inserted The Viper. He ring work is just as good and his mic work is the same. People believe what they want to, though, reguardless of whether it is accurate or not. Orton is a top guy because he has sacrificed and remained with WWE throughout the years. He's sustained numerous injuries and came out of all of that as a great professional that deserves whatever the WWE decides to give him.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

These threads really are kind of ridiculous when you stop to think about them.

Every so often, a thread like this will pop up in which the OP makes a grand statement about how bad a wrestler is and attempt to make it seem as though his/her opinion is representative of the vast majority of the fans.

To say that "no one cares anymore" just... I just...how can anybody claim that the fans aren't into Orton when they flat out errupt like a friggin' volcano everytime his music hits? Orton has fans hanging on everything he does, every move he makes and every word he says. Whatever he does, the fans always pop big no matter where the show is.

If someone doesn't like Orton, that's fine. But just because you don't like Orton or Cena or any other other favorite targets of the IWC doesn't mean that the vast majority of wrestling fans share that view.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Orton is very talented, has worked with many of the top performers within the company. I don't really think he's that great on the mike, but he doesn't really get anything to interesting to say on the mike. He isn't my favourite but he's a solid worker and his contribution to the company can't understated. At the same time, we can't overstate it either.

I find it odd that people are complaining about this topic. WWE had an opportunity to go with Christian as champ on SD and the face of that brand. What did they do ? Two days - if even that- they had him lose the belt to Orton. They essentially said that they didn't believe that Christian can carry the program and they'll make Orton the focus of the show. That's their right. Orton has been the face of SD and the ratings have not been great. There may have been some spikes, but for the most part it's been less than well received. At one point the show received the lowest rating since the show was on or for since 2000 or something like that. Now if the evidence (tv ratings) doesn't support the idea that Orton is a draw, why don't people have a right to ask a question about a performer's ability to draw ?

TV ratings are important, every one here on this topic knows that. If the tv ratings don't support the reason for him being on the show people have a right to question his ability to carry a show. He can get all the pops in the arena imaginable but the tv ratings are what drove the decision for him to be the champ on SD, and he hasn't delivered in that department. Not only that, the best ratings (if not the best, among the best ratings) the show has seen occur on the show after he no longer wears the belt. SO I think the question of his value is a natural thing to do in this case.