Should they turn Orton?

[vikesfan]

Now Im a huge Orton mark and so badly wanna see him turn back heel(as does he). Its what hes best at and could,if given the right push,could be one of the best heels ever. But,Ive read some other posts on other forums that say maybe they should hold off on it because he's still mega over.

A lot of those people have seen him live(including me last Monday at Raw) and believe me,hes still over huge and the RKO is still the only finisher today that gets a huge pop. And its not just girls that cheer him,I saw men and women of all ages going nuts for him when his music hit.

And whos to say if they do turn him the same thing might happen as last time where he's cheered no matter what and they turn him back face again like in 2010? Like I said,I was at the Raw taping last Monday and even after the controversial Lawler-Punk angle there was tons of fans cheering for Punk.

Should they go ahead and turn him anyway or would it just be useless as the fans will still probably cheer him anyway(maybe even more so)?

 

[Headman]

They shouldn't turn him until they're ready to make him top heel. Turns should mean something and Orton has had too many turns to get much of a reaction at this point. So IMO if he ever turns they should wait until it would mean something. Otherwise, what's the point?

 

[Con T.]

Probably, yeah. There's literally no one left for Randy Orton to work with as a face. If I have to watch Randy Orton face Alberto Del Rio one more time, I'll punch a pregnant woman. Orton is literally going through the motions as a face right now; he's wanted to turn heel for a while now, but they've been wanting to build Sheamus into the top face. I'm not sure if he's ready yet, but the only way to find out is to give him the chance. After the program with Show is over, Sheamus is going to need to work with someone for Wrestlemania, and Orton-Sheamus is a pretty big match that hasn't been driven to the ground yet. It's been teased, but not outright given. It won't be a main event, but it will definitely be an upper card match, which the WHC should really be at Wrestlemania.

I'm all for this move.
He's a far, far better heel,
and needs fresh matches.

 

[Diet Soda]

If booked right, an Orton heel turn can help slingshot Miz's face turn if they continue with the feud that has been teased in the last week.
It all depends on how the fans accept Miz as a fully fledged face, but I don't doubt he'll be able make the transition going up against one of the top natural heels there is.

 

[THE Great GAMMA]

Why does he have to turn heel? and why does he only have to challenge for the title if he is a heel?? Generally a Face vs Face match comes of great with a live crowd. So why not have Orton go against another face with the winner Facing whomever the champion is?

 

[anvilx8]

Not only should he turn heel, he NEEDS to turn heel. Orton is my fav wrestler and has been ever since he became the legend killer. And IMO, he's one of the best when he's heel. But when he's face, he just sort of blends in.. gets lost in the shuffle.

 

[sulfureo]

I agree that Orton is better heel then face. And people loves him as a heel.
But Smackdown now has two big heel, Del Rio and Barrett, that in my opinion needs their first belt. The blu show dont' need another top heel without a draft.

Instead... well, I'm very interesting, now, about wrestler like the Miz, no more heel, not again face. Maybe the best for Orton is to stay in the middle, and run by himself or (better) became a new faction leader.

In this reality Era, I really need big faction like evolution or (just to remember a recent one) nexus. I'd love it.

 

[Menski]

Fans will decide who they like or don't like, cheer and boo as they see fit and they'll never be 100% in agreement that's the fun of the wrestling industry. Orton should be heel because that's what he's best at and what fits his character. If people cheer him let them. Call him a tweener or whatever, just let him be and the fans will cheer or boo as they see fit. Look at what a wrestler does best and run with it if you want an entertaining product, the fans will decide how to react but stick with what works. People like Punk, Miz, HHH, Daniel Bryan can potentially be either face or heel but Orton is a natural heel he's boring as a face.

 

[gers09]

yes am a fan of Orton but his viper persona doesn't work as a face esp in the pg era. He is much better heel than most the heels right now look at the punt how can kicking someone in the head like that work as a face it is a heel move. i don't know if they are trying to make him a stone cold kind thing as the loner guy no offence to randy but he not Austin he will never be a big as stone cold that nothing to do with him not being talented enough he is just Austin was just a different time. when he is a heel he doesn't need to do much to get the fans to boo him where i think as a face he needs to work harder to get over

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I'm all in favor of a Randy Orton heel turn. I like Orton either way, but I find myself totally uninterested in any of his face promos. I do enjoy most of his matches; if Orton is anything it's consistent. He can work a good match with just about anyone. They may not have a whole lot of variation, but that is in part thanks to his opponents. For instance, he and Christian worked a whole summer of great matches. Orton and del Rio have been killing it in the ring. Their relatively short 2/3 Falls match on Raw this week, I thought, was pretty fantastic.

The number one reason I'm in favor of the heel turn though, is because it's what Randy Orton wants. Historically, performers are at their absolute best when the get to do what they are creatively interested in. You see John Cena cutting the best promos when he's working with guys like the Rock, because it's not something he gets to do every month. He gets competition for a change, and is forced to step up their game. CM Punk has Paul Heyman and is now main eventing pay-per-views; tell me if I'm wrong, but he's shown noticeable improvement since then, yes?

Randy Orton wants to be a heel. He's always been better as the bad guy. It allows him freedom to be what he wants to be, what he feels comfortable doing, and to express himself in promos and be a bit more viscous in the ring. He can control the pacing of a match, rather than be the one on the seller's end for the majority. That's where Orton shines, in my opinion, and if that is what he wants to do, I think it would be a travesty for the WWE to keep holding him back.

Now, I posed a fun little armchair booking session on Twitter the other day, to a pretty good response from a few dozen folks. This is, of course, not likely to happen, but more or less a creative idea I would pitch if I had the access:

1. Do not book Randy Orton at the upcoming TLC pay-per-view, but rather continue flirting with the idea of a heel turn in his matches on Smackdown each week.

2. DO book Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena

3. Whatever the decision is in that match, end it with ZIggler beating the hell out of Cena with his MITB briefcase, or another foreign object. Randy Orton would then make the save. Why? Who knows, that's the point. Create immediately intrigue. What is Randy Orton doing helping John Cena? Why is this relevant?

4. After Ziggler runs to the back, have Orton raise John Cena's hand in victory. And then...bam, RKO! But you cannot stop at this point. Randy Orton is going to punt somebody's face off, that much is pretty obvious. Why not have this person be the biggest draw in professional wrestling right now? SOmebody that Orton could easily be jealous of, and has a lot of past history with. The RKO is not enough; he must put Cena on the shelf. So Randy Orton RKO and punt kicks John Cena at TLC.

5. The Royal Rumble approaches, and everyone online gets all bitchy because John Cena is probably going to come back and win it. He doesn't. He doesn't even appear at the Rumble. In fact he is completely out of action and not involved with the WWE product from TLC until Elimination Chamber. This gives Cena time to heal up from nagging injuries and take a few months to get his personal life in order following a messy divorce. Refreshed and refocused, it will do everyone a lot of good.

6. At the Elimination Chamber, Randy Orton becomes the final man in the ring with whoever happens to be the World Champion. Enter John Cena, rushing the ring like a bat out of hell. Either he enters in when the 4th man gets eliminated, or he tears the freaking door from its hinges. He's Super Cena, and he's pissed off. The two go at it, throwing rights and lefts like crazy; the crowd is super behind it, psyched to see Cena for the first time in two months. Cena gets the AA on Orton, drags the Champion on top of him, and that ends the match.

7. John Cena vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania, one more time.

Here's what this scenario does for the fans:
-It effectively establishes Orton as a top face immediately, and in the biggest way possible given the current landscape of the product.
-It gives John Cena a break from us, and us a break from John Cena.
-It puts Randy Orton in a high profile match at WrestleMania; something he's been very frustrated with the last few years.
-It gets John Cena in a main event level match at Mania, but keeps him out of a match with the Rock, and out of the WWE Championship picture.

I think this could be a lot of fun. Will it ever happen? Probably not, but it has a better chance than some of the more ridiculous things I've heard. John Cena and Randy Orton have something like 21 World Title reigns between them. They are top level guys that don't need to be World Champion at this point in their careers. DO they still have some late-game title runs left in the tank? Absolutely, but with guys like Barrett, Sheamus, Miz, Ziggler, Punk, etc., they don't need to be winning titles RIGHT NOW. Let them work a big match at WrestleMania; one that will draw in a huge crowd and level of interest. That gives us, at the very least, four main event level matches. WWE TItle, World Title, Cena/Orton, and a fourth match that involves either Lesnar, Undertaker, and Rock in some way.

Just having a little fun. What do you think?

 

[MINISTRYrising]

Orton needs better competition, not a heel turn. He has been feuding with Alberto Del Rio for a long time now and WWE just has to accept the fact that Del Rio will never be anything else but a upper mid carder and even having somebody like Orton feud with him won't change that. Sheamus and Orton are not the most talented of people on the mic, but Orton is far better then Sheamus in the ring and is far more over with the fans. So for me having a face orton vs a heel Big Show for the world Title is a much better idea then having Big show continue to face Sheamus week in week out. Also a punk vs Orton feud for the wwe title could also be very good for both Orton and Punk.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

I'm one of those people firmly against an Orton heel turn for right now. The WWE is severely lacking in faces that the fans genuinely like, with Orton being one of the few. He consistently gets one of the biggest pops of the night, and is cheered by all audience demographics. I don't think this is something the WWE can afford to throw away, especially considering most of their up and coming talent are heels right now. As a face, Orton can help some of these heels get to the next level.

However, just because I'm against Orton turning heel, this does not mean I am against a character change. When Orton first turned face, they really played up the unstable/psychotic character, but over time its been gradually downplayed. I think the fact that he's fucking nuts needs to be emphasized again, and his face reaction will get even stronger. There is something about Orton freaking out and RKOing people left, right and centre that just seems to resonate with people.

For whatever reason, it seems as though in recent years WWE has stopped letting the fans dictate the direction of the product. For example, when Daniel Bryan chants were dominating RAW and the Yes! thing was at its peak, they kept Daniel Bryan as a heel instead of positioning him as a face and running with the momentum. Punk on the other hand was genuinely over as a face with pretty much everyone in the audience, much like Orton is currently, but they turned him heel and he's been pretty unsuccessful as a heel thus far. I don't want to see them make the same mistake with Orton.

 

[crippler]

I'm one of those people firmly against an Orton heel turn for right now. The WWE is severely lacking in faces that the fans genuinely like, with Orton being one of the few. He consistently gets one of the biggest pops of the night, and is cheered by all audience demographics. I don't think this is something the WWE can afford to throw away, especially considering most of their up and coming talent are heels right now. As a face, Orton can help some of these heels get to the next level.

However, just because I'm against Orton turning heel, this does not mean I am against a character change. When Orton first turned face, they really played up the unstable/psychotic character, but over time its been gradually downplayed. I think the fact that he's fucking nuts needs to be emphasized again, and his face reaction will get even stronger. There is something about Orton freaking out and RKOing people left, right and centre that just seems to resonate with people.

For whatever reason, it seems as though in recent years WWE has stopped letting the fans dictate the direction of the product. For example, when Daniel Bryan chants were dominating RAW and the Yes! thing was at its peak, they kept Daniel Bryan as a heel instead of positioning him as a face and running with the momentum. Punk on the other hand was genuinely over as a face with pretty much everyone in the audience, much like Orton is currently, but they turned him heel and he's been pretty unsuccessful as a heel thus far. I don't want to see them make the same mistake with Orton.

The thing about Orton is he was at his best as a heel yes he is over as a face but a heel turn would be good for his character. As far as the CM Punk heel turn that was what CM Punk wanted he would never be the #1 face in WWE as long as John Cena was around so he wanted to be the #1 heel and he has pretty much done that and disagree that he has been unsuccessful as a heel. He gets alot of heat from the crowd thats what you want from a heel

 

[xavyer]

I don't know if he should turn heel just yet, but in my opinion, as a heel, he's the closest thing to a heel Triple H at this time, a heel that people follow, a heel that's sadistic, evil and methodical, but at the same time, if the WWE decides to turn him heel, there will be trouble for the up and commer heels from both RAW and SMACKDOWN, and he will definitly take over for CM Punk as the number 1 heel, so for some superstar to be safe, they have to keep him as the number 2 face.......

 

[vikesfan]

The bad thing is they banned the punt so thats out. All because they are scared of concussions. Yey,on Raw last week Ryback legit bashed Maddox's head(front and back of it) into the mat during their match(and I was there live and he really bashed his head) so thats ok? Its stupid.

And why have Bryan and Kane do the 'anger management" skits when Orton legit took them and on tv always is said to have "anger management" problems so why didnt they do them w/ him? Oh I know,they did it for 'comedy" sake.

Im so sick of the way theyve buried him. Nobody cares about Show or Sheamus. When was the last time a top face like Sheamus got a "What?" chant like Sheamus got Monday on Raw? I just want something for him that he can really sink his teeth into and a extended feud w/ ADR sure isnt it.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I honestly can't see it happening.

Technically, Orton was supposed to be the bad guy during the Legacy break-up/feud heading into Wrestlemania 26. But the fans wouldn't stop cheering for him. The pops became louder and louder with each passing week, and eventually, WWE had to turn Orton face, there was no way around it. If WWE tries turning him heel again, I'm pretty sure the same thing will happen. The fans will continue to show him positive support, as Orton becomes more aggressive, violent, and psychotic.

Smackdown could use a younger top heel. Once he loses the WHC, Show will probably slide back down the card again. Over the years, Show frequently bounces from heel to face, so you can't expect him to keep the same persona for too long. They tried over and over again, but Del Rio is not that guy, not yet at least. Too much time and effort went into Sheamus' face run, and I honestly don't see a heel turn coming anytime soon.

For now, we're just going to have to wait on Dolph Ziggler to cash-in his WHC match briefcase. As far as being a top heel on the blue brand goes, Ziggler is the best chance they've got. It might feel like a horrendous train wreck, but the AJ/Cena/Vickie storyline should give Dolph a nice boost. He scored the deciding fall for his team at Survivor Series, and a feud with Cena will only help his momentum swing.

I would like to see an Orton heel turn, but I don't think the fans are going to go for it. We're just going to have to wait until Ziggler cashes in, because he's Smackdown's best hope for the next top heel.

 

[hatehabsforever]

They absolutely should turn Randy Orton back into a heel. There's absolutely no doubt that the fans will react in a positive fashion to this as Mitch suggests, but I still think getting positive support from the fans, getting a "face" reaction even though he's a heel, is not necessarily a bad thing. Better for a top heel to receive positive fan support, than to have a guy stuck in a heel role that doesn't really suit him, that he apparently doesn't enjoy himself, and that the fans do not seem to appreciate.

Randy Orton was successful as a heel. The fans warmed up to him, so they decided to convert him into a face, and the response he received was lackluster at best. What did they do? Turned him back into a heel again. Once again, his degree of "overness" skyrocketed, and he rose back to the upper echelon of the company. The result? A second face turn, and lackluster results again. If they turn him heel yet again, I think he'll quickly rise to the forefront yet again. And better to be in the forefront as a "popular" heel, than lost in face purgatory.

If the WWE is serious about turning the Miz face, or Ziggler, or even Cody Rhodes, who better to help pull it off, than having them opposed by a heel Orton. Orton himself will be happier. The fans will like it better. And he can be a prime time player as a heel vying for the a world Heavyweight championship.

 

[Dagger Dias]

They absolutely need to turn Randy Orton back into the evil heel we saw in 2007-2009. He doesn't have to revert back into the Legend Killer or anything like that, but I agree with those who liked him better as a heel. They tried a face run with him when he got more popular. It has not worked out so well. Orton was more interesting as a villain. The RKO will remain over as a finisher and many of his fans will still like him.

WWE seemed to want to focus the Smackdown scene around him, before the Supershow format began, anyway. They have other faces who could fill the void that an Orton heel turn would leave if that were to happen. Sheamus can be the top face and they have plenty of other guys who could step up. WWE can hopefully realize that Orton's calling is working as a heel. They tried something different and it didn't quite work, so now it is time to bring him back into the role he was best at. I would like to see it happen, especially with the new group of faces toward the top of the card that he can feud with.

 

[Just Do It]

Orton needs to shake up his act and his look on my opinion. He has been doing the same style of promo and match for years now. In the ring he is still great. But there just seems something stale about him.

If he turns heel, what does that mean? yet more matches with him and Cena for the millionth time? Him vs HHH for the millionth time?

 

[vikesfan]

HHH is basically done as a wrestler so it wont be v him. At least not in an extended feud. Cena doubtful too as its been redone many times before. If it'll be anyone it'll be Miz,maybe even a face Dolph,Sheamus or Bryan(which would be great).

And I wouldnt say Orton's face turn has been much of a flop at all. Hes still over like crazy and gets huge pops so he must be doing something right. But like I said and others on here said too,the fans will still cheer him as a heel no matter what. Its the way the fans are now,the heels get cheered more than ever now.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If the various reports I've read online are true, then WWE does plan to turn Orton heel. The reports have said Orton is very happy about this as he's far more comfortable as a heel and has been wanting to turn heel for a long time now.

I like Orton either way but I feel he's much better as a heel than as a face. Orton gets a great response as a babyface or a heel but, for me, he's simply better as a heel. Everything about Orton from his tattoos to his facial expressions to the way he sort of "slithers" around, to his nickname of The Viper pretty much screams heel. His promos are far better when he's a heel.

If they ultimately want Orton to go back to being one of the true top dogs in the company, then the only way he's going to get there is by being a heel. They've done as much with him as a face as they can. If they plan to put the title back on him, then he needs to be heel because a lot of people didn't seem interested in Orton as a babyface champion last summer. He won the WHC and ratings for SD! dropped to some of the lowest levels they've seen since the show moved to Syfy. After the title was taken off Orton, viewership surged back up.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I'm going to go against the grain and say: fuck to the no.

Orton wants to turn heel? Too bad, Randy. Somebody needs to slap him hard in the face and restore some sense. What Orton needs is some better writing and someone other than Alberto Del Rio to feud with. 2011 showed how phenomenal he can be as a face - 2012 has been a series of injuries, suspensions and lame duck, usually half complete storylines. You get some competent writing and a competent opponent in there, it can all turn round in a snap.

I'll even say this - face Randy Orton is just plain more exciting than heel Randy Orton. It's not glaringly obvious, but Orton's phased out the more 'methodical' nature of his moveset (the stomps, the headlocks) and brought in more spectacular counters, as well as playing up the whole dribbling goon shtick that much more.

Thinking about that, how do you even turn Randy Orton heel anyway? He's playing ostensibly the same character he was when he was a heel - you know, the one which made him popular with the fans and forcibly turned him face. You pit him against The Miz or Bryan, I'd imagine their fresh heat's going to be fresh meat.

Edit: I saw the opportunity for a closing pun and I took it. I took it.

 

[H33LTurn]

I'm not a regular Smackdown watcher, I catch it every other week at best, so maybe its not my place to say but from what I saw last week, Randy works better when he has an edge. That slight cockiness he displayed on the last SD can definitely evolve to something that would work. I dont see him being cheered after the heel turn as a negative thing. I think Punk gets cheered as well. Miz was cheered his last two appearances.

 

[AwesomeSauce]

I've always found it hard to see Orton as a good guy, so the transition seems quite easy, the only problems is that right now he seems to be in a sort of limbo; he still draws but he's not doing anything important.

 

[#tamale]

I'm going to go against the grain and say: fuck to the no.

Orton wants to turn heel? Too bad, Randy. Somebody needs to slap him hard in the face and restore some sense. What Orton needs is some better writing and someone other than Alberto Del Rio to feud with. 2011 showed how phenomenal he can be as a face - 2012 has been a series of injuries, suspensions and lame duck, usually half complete storylines. You get some competent writing and a competent opponent in there, it can all turn round in a snap.

I'll even say this - face Randy Orton is just plain more exciting than heel Randy Orton. It's not glaringly obvious, but Orton's phased out the more 'methodical' nature of his moveset (the stomps, the headlocks) and brought in more spectacular counters, as well as playing up the whole dribbling goon shtick that much more.

Thinking about that, how do you even turn Randy Orton heel anyway? He's playing ostensibly the same character he was when he was a heel - you know, the one which made him popular with the fans and forcibly turned him face. You pit him against The Miz or Bryan, I'd imagine their fresh heat's going to be fresh meat.

Edit: I saw the opportunity for a closing pun and I took it. I took it.

This.

Orton turns heel, guess what? They are still going to cheer him. Guy is massively over as a face and he doesn't even cut a promo. Plus his moveset is much better now. When he does his face comeback, it excites the crowd.

Just give him a good feud as a face. Del Rio gets zero heat now. Why not Orton-Punk, Orton-Cesaro, Orton-The New Nexus, Orton-Sandow, Orton-Show, hell an Orton-Sheamus (face vs. face) would be dynamite. Even Orton-Lesnar. Just give him that good feud and he'll make it work.