Randy Orton's Record

[Tbgator85]

As you may or may not know, Randy Orton is currently the youngest superstar to ever hold a major title (WWE or WHC) at the age of 24 I believe.

Do you think that record will ever be broken?

Will it be broken by a current member of the roster or someone in development?

Will it come further down the road?

Personally I feel that the the recent trend int he WWE most champions are getting older and unless something changes or there is a huge angle where a rookie comes in and scores a COMPLETE surprise victory (1-2-3 Kidish) this record will stand pat for a long while.

 

[rb286]

I doubt it tbh, WWE have realised the problem when you achieve something as big as winning the world title at such a young age is, 'where do they go from here?'

Also The Rock and Brock Lesnar won it at relatively young ages as well and end up moving onto other projects instead.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Interesting question.

I'm not sure if it's a matter of WWE not being as confident in "taking a chance" on younger guys like they used to be or if they just don't see "it" in the very young guys. When looking at the current RAW or Smackdown roster, 24 would be considered VERY YOUNG. I think WWE is moving more towards developing guys for awhile in FCW, NXT, etc. then developing them on RAW, SD after that. In other words, the process is taking a lot longer.

You have to ask yourself, where would a 24 year old Orton fit in right now? Would he instantly be in the main event storylines like he was with Evolution? It's hard to say but I'm thinking no.

The Rock is one of the all-time greats, who had just about every factor a young guys needs to skyrocket to the top, that's why he got to the top so fast.

Back to Orton: As much as people are down on him now because of his Wellness Policy issues, he still is an elite talent in my opinion and in his prime was well on his way to surpassing John Cena as the top guy in the company. I don't see that in any of the younger guys now. A 28,29, even 30 year old is considered "young" in today's day and age so Orton's record will probably never be broken.

 

[rostrick27]

I tend to agree with SDS1582 about 24 being very young for WWE right now. Orton hit the jackpot with his Evolution situation, along with his family's WWE history and the fact that he got into WWE's developmental system (OVW at the time) when he was only 20 or 21.

As for the Rock, I wonder if he would have ended up where he did if the crowd wouldn't have turned on him with their "die Rocky die" chants, which led to his heel turn and really brought out his personality and mic skills for the first time (if I remember correctly...that's been a few years now!). Once he got a chance, the rest is history.

As for a rookie coming in and winning in a huge upset, even if it happens, I think it would be tough for a rookie to even get on the roster at 24 years old. In recent years, rookies like Sheamus and Del Rio who have come in and won the title very early have still been in their late 20s/early 30s when they won it.

I do think the record will eventually be broken though. At some point, another 3rd or 4th generation guy will get into developmental very young and progress quickly. No idea who it will be though.

 

[Tbgator85]

At some point, another 3rd or 4th generation guy will get into developmental very young and progress quickly. No idea who it will be though.

That could be an amazing fued. If it works out, Randy could be holding the title at around 35ish and have the son of someone (Cody Rhodes, Curtis Axel, Cody Rhodes, one of the dozens of Samoans, or hell even if Orton had a kid) who has been in training since they were 18, crash the party and challenge Orton to become the new youngest champ in history.

Of course it seems unlikely since I don't think any of them have any teenage sons at the moment.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's possible, but unlikely. One significant problem that WWE has had as it pertains to Randy Orton in that he was pushed extremely hard, extremely fast and has been pushed constantly for the most part. Orton was 24 years old when he won the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Of the 9 times Randy Orton has been World Heavyweight or WWE Champion, 6 of those times came before he was 30 years of age. As a result, by the time he was 30, He'd won numerous World Championships and had feuded with the biggest stars on the roster ranging from The Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H, Edge & Batista. He'd been Intercontinental Champion, been a Tag Team Champion and won the Royal Rumble in 2009. What else is there for him to do? Although, to be fair, a MAJOR factor in the situation was WWE's own screw up for playing hot potato so consistently with titles, especially the WWE Championship. From the time Orton debuted in WWE up to his 30th birthday, the WWE Championship changed hands a total of 36 times. Of those 36 different runs, only 11 of them lasted 90 days or longer.

Years ago, Triple H himself said in an interview that, in his opinion, one of the problems was that they were getting a lot of guys who'd only been in the business for a handful of years, putting them on the main roster, and pushing them so hard that they peaked much too soon. Randy Orton is the prime example of what Trips was talking about. Within 2 years of Orton's debut in wrestling, he was part of the WWE roster. It's something that Triple H wants to avoid if possible and really prefers wrestlers that are still young but have a good deal of experience. Trips' influence is also a reason why WWE no longer switches champions after 30 days or 40 days.

 

[Ric 'The Nature Boy' Flair]

i think it will be broken but not for a while because of how debuting stars are getting older

 

[MCMG]

I can't see it happening for a long time. 24 is ridiculously young to win a world title and there is no-one, I don't think, on the main roster who is that young. I think even guys like Ambrose, Wyatt and Rhodes are in their late 20's. Even looking at NXT most of the guys aren't even this young which simply means Orton won the belt when he was very young.

Moreover, I think the WWE are taking time over new stars. Sheamus was the last person to enter the main roster and challenge for a WWE title quickly never mind win the thing. Look at guys like Wyatt and Fandango who are young but have already undergone massive gimmick changes.

 

[rostrick27]

That could be an amazing fued. If it works out, Randy could be holding the title at around 35ish and have the son of someone (Cody Rhodes, Curtis Axel, Cody Rhodes, one of the dozens of Samoans, or hell even if Orton had a kid) who has been in training since they were 18, crash the party and challenge Orton to become the new youngest champ in history.

Of course it seems unlikely since I don't think any of them have any teenage sons at the moment.

I agree that would set up a pretty fun storyline, to have a guy like that come in and basically just state right off the bat that he's trying for a more meteoric rise than even Orton had.

I also agree with Jack-Hammer about the title changing hands so dang much contributed to some younger guys getting pushed too hard and too fast. Sheamus and Del Rio are perfect examples of this. In my opinion, both grew stale very quickly after their pushes, and they haven't been around THAT long.

 

[InstantAttitude]

Bo Dallas will break it due to the fact that he is just 21 years of age and is being pushed to the moon. Add on his ability to ignite the crowd a mesomorph of Cheers and his ability to electrify with a stick and not to mention his uncanny ability to put on one hell of a match that will make everyone else who is in his presence look like mere midgets.

 

[#heel420]

Bo Dallas will break it due to the fact that he is just 21 years of age and is being pushed to the moon. Add on his ability to ignite the crowd a mesomorph of Cheers and his ability to electrify with a stick and not to mention his uncanny ability to put on one hell of a match that will make everyone else who is in his presence look like mere midgets.

He's actually 23 so he doesn't have much time left to break the record.

As for Orton he might be one of the luckiest s.o.b's to ever enter wrestling. At 20 years old gets a spot in developmental. At 22 debuts on Smackdown, and at 24 wins a World Championship. That was unprecedented. (Side note: I think another reason they gave Orton the title so young, is that Lesnar held the record of being the youngest Champion and seeing as he abandoned ship WWE wanted to put that record on someone else.)

Somebody's bound to break it at some point. I don't think it'll be anyone that's currently signed.

 

[MattBrady425]

Actually, Randy Orton's record is ONLY really a WWE record, not a record in professional wrestling, because "The Big Show" Paul Wight or "The Giant, as he was called at that time in WCW, won the then-very-prestigious WCW World Heavyweight Title at the young age of 23 at Halloween Havoc 1995. He is also the 3rd youngest superstar to ever win the WWE Title at the age of 27 in at ARMAGEDDON 1999. He is now 41 years old and still with the WWE, despite a weight problem in 2000-2001, a 14-month absence, funny but butchering various comedy segments, and a lackluster World Heavyweight Championship reign.

Did The Giant (Big Show) suffer from the same problem that Orton suffered from after winning the straps so young in either WCW or WWF/E with no clear sense of direction after they drop the belt? It's hard to say. Orton is 33 years old right now and still with the WWE, 9 years after he originally won the strap, despite 2 wellness violations, a suspension for getting caught backstage smoking marijuana w/ Chris Masters, a couple of injuries, backstage heat, practically destroying a hotel room once, and pointless various feuds. I would think that if a wrestler won a world title at a very young age and goes on to stay in the company for a very long time after, then it's more of an investment.

Both Orton and Big Show have had longer pro wrestling careers than both Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brock Lesnar, combined. Established young guys do not always have to be chasing the title, look at Orton's 2005 feud with The Undertaker or Big Show's countless non-title feuds. A wrestler may win a world title at the age of 22 and then stay in wrestling until they're well into their 40's. As far as Orton's record being "officially broken" in WWE, it's hard to say. Very few real young wrestlers are really being groomed for the future. Look at the major pushes of the last ten years, Batista, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and countless others. (Yes, I count TNA guys in this.)

What do they ALL have in common? They were all at least 30 years old when they won their 1st world championships. Rene Dupree is the youngest person to ever hold a WWE championship of any kind, winning the WWE tag team titles in 2003. He went to stay with the WWE for a # of years before being released, so you never know.

There's be a better chance of someone winning the TNA World Heavyweight Title young than Orton than the WWE/WH.