What Do You Think Of Randy Orton?

[Martin Gabriel]

I'm asking because I hear a lot of criticism I just don't understand. One of the biggest is that he can't wrestle. Bullshit. Let's see some examples: Orton vs. Ziggler on Monday this week and even more so, their awesome match on RAW toward the end of 2011; Orton vs. Barrett this week; Orton vs. Christian every single time; Orton vs. Cody Rhodes; Orton vs. John Cena in SOME of their matches; Orton vs. Triple H in, yet again, SOME of their matches ... I think my favorite is a Last Man Standing match they had on a three-hour episode of RAW; and TONS OF MORE GREAT MATCHES! He's athletic, he's great at counter wrestling sequences, he has a cool move-set and he has awesome mannerisms. To me, he's easily one of the best in-ring performers ever.

Then the other, perhaps even more common criticism, is that he's booked too strong. I honestly can't think of many times that was true. During his longest WWE Championship run he often looked like a typical, chickenshit heel, like when he slapped Cena to retain the title at No Way Out. He's had his dominant moments as a face, but in this past year on SmackDown he put over Henry clean, and he's lost matches to Ziggler, Rhodes and Barrett.

Let's say he wasn't ever pushed to the point where he's now among the top three over wrestlers in the company. Who the hell would heels get momentum off of? Having a guy who's so over gives his opponents credibility, especially when they beat him but still some just by wrestling a good match with him. It's ridiculous how under-appreciated he goes by some members of the IWC when he's been consistently awesome, dedicated and entertaining.

 

[PlayTheGame]

I think Randy Orton is one of the top-5 guys that I personally wanna see when I watch WWE programming, whether that's in a promo, match, what have you.

I like Orton, I have since his days in Evolution. I think he's solid both in the ring and on the mic, and I don't really understand criticism about him either. He's probably the second top guy in WWE, behind Cena, and arguably the top heel when he is a heel. If not, who is the top heel? Ziggler? Swagger? Mark Henry? Kane? No to all of them. Maybe I could see it if someone argued for Jericho, but who knows how long he'll be with WWE in his current stint. Face it: Orton is one of the very top guys in the WWE, the counterpart to Cena at the top, and one of the faces of the company that Vince would trust with the belt.

He has a clear identity both in the ring and out of it that makes him unique and recognizable. Does Swagger? Does Ziggler? Does Barrett? Does half the roster? Instead of the being the classic cocky, "better than you", cheat to win heel, he takes the psychotic, unstable, violent path. Almost that of a Kane, but more silent and stealthy. Hence the "Viper" moniker.

Randy Orton is a top guy in the WWE. People that knock him are probably drooling over guys like Ziggler, Barrett, and Swagger.

 

[Krossbreed]

at any given time randy can go right back to be the top guy in wwe. Him going to smackdown automatically means there using him to build the smackdown brand...

my opinion of randy is simple... he isnt the best on the mic, but he is great at eveyything else...i would like them to not make him do interviews and give him a ice cold persona...that would shut u haters up.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

I dislike Randy Orton more than any other wrestler living or dead that has ever set foot in a wrestling ring. This is not based on anything that he has done in the ring, but for more personal reasons for things he has done outside of the ring, as I think he is actually a pretty decent wrestler and has one of the best finishers in the business. His promos are pretty boring and he seems to suck the charisma out of anyone near him when he is doing a promo. I hate him being a face as he is probably the most naturally born heel character in the history of wrestling. Everything he does from the punt kicks, to the his look, and movements in the ring scream bad guy that you want to hate, not good guy that you want to cheer. This is another thing about him that I hate, he is nothing like Austin who WWE has tried so poorly to make him the second coming of. Austin was the average joe redneck that hated his boss so people identified with that. Orton comes off as an arrogant self centered prick and I don't see why people want to cheer for him.

 

[aFTeRLiFe]

I dislike Randy Orton more than any other wrestler living or dead that has ever set foot in a wrestling ring. This is not based on anything that he has done in the ring, but for more personal reasons for things he has done outside of the ring.

If you are going to criticize him for personal reasons, you should at least post them. Other wise you're full of shit! I seriously doubt Orton has ever done anything to you.

I have been a Orton fan for a long time, after meeting him in personal I am even a bigger fan and respect him even more. He was awesome.

I think he is great at any roles he has played and will continue to be and do so. That's why he is at the top.
I surely hope he makes the HoF one day.

 

[PlayTheGame]

I dislike Randy Orton more than any other wrestler living or dead that has ever set foot in a wrestling ring. This is not based on anything that he has done in the ring, but for more personal reasons for things he has done outside of the ring, as I think he is actually a pretty decent wrestler and has one of the best finishers in the business. His promos are pretty boring and he seems to suck the charisma out of anyone near him when he is doing a promo. I hate him being a face as he is probably the most naturally born heel character in the history of wrestling. Everything he does from the punt kicks, to the his look, and movements in the ring scream bad guy that you want to hate, not good guy that you want to cheer. This is another thing about him that I hate, he is nothing like Austin who WWE has tried so poorly to make him the second coming of. Austin was the average joe redneck that hated his boss so people identified with that. Orton comes off as an arrogant self centered prick and I don't see why people want to cheer for him.

You hate him because he's a prick? You realize that most guys that have ever made it to the top of wrestling have been self-centered, arrogant douchebags that make Randy Orton look like a girl scout, right? HBK, Hogan, Nash, Scott Hall, and Batista are just a few names that come to mind.

The only way that he's different from those guys is a possible sense of "entitlement", since his dad is Cowboy Bob Orton, and he obviously had connections to get into the business. But, you didn't really mention that in your argument.

To go get to the top of the WWE, there usually is some selfishness involved. It's just the nature of the game. Sure, some "nice" guys make it, but the majority of them do it in the fashion that a Hogan, or a Nash did it. If you hate Orton as much as you say you do, you must despise guys like Hogan and HBK even more then, right?

 

[reed214]

i think all of the hatred Randy has been getting is b/c he is a face and everyone likes him so the cool thing to do is to hate. (i get it, i used to like more heels than faces before i woke up and started to like the guys who can wrestle)

RKO is a top star...in the world. who can wrestle/talk and stare at you with his bedroom eyes....except it is more like prison bedroom eyes...(moving on)

up until cm punk started his best in the world thing, (and until jericho came back) Randy was easily the best wrestler in the world and he is just in a "lets put some young guys over" part of the year (b/c like HBK, RKO can lose and still not lose his spot in the main events) until they give him another title run.

wade barrett will be a world champion by the end of the year, and he can thank randy for the final push to the top.

even if you hate Randy, he must be in your top 5 wrestlers in the world....or you are not being honest and can't judge pro wrestling talent (that sounds mean, but im not meaning it..to be mean...some people just can't be objective, like more than half the peeps in these forums...again, im not trying to sound mean)

 

[#hamler]

I hate him being a face as he is probably the most naturally born heel character in the history of wrestling. Everything he does from the punt kicks, to the his look, and movements in the ring scream bad guy that you want to hate, not good guy that you want to cheer. This is another thing about him that I hate, he is nothing like Austin who WWE has tried so poorly to make him the second coming of. Austin was the average joe redneck that hated his boss so people identified with that. Orton comes off as an arrogant self centered prick and I don't see why people want to cheer for him.

Wait, wait. lol. You said everything about Orton screams bad guy then go on to say he's nothing like Austin? Really? What makes Austin able to be a face but not Orton? Austin was a prick. Who goes around spraying their boss with beer and whatnot? Who goes around stunning everyone just for fun? Who goes around drinking beer, whooping ass and taking names? Don't criticize Orton when Austin posseses the same type of heelish traits.

 

[M3420]

Best standing dropkick in the business today, phenomenal look, the body style that most dudes strive for, but a bit too robotic, and has worn out that slow angry promo style and needs to undergo another tweaking. Still think he's one of the top guys in WWE and should never be too far from the main event. I really like that he's getting Barrett into the picture as a top heel which is where I think he belongs, and I had worried that he and the rest of his 'CORRE' was going to fall into obscurity.

Sidenote- does anyone know why they felt the second 'R' was necessary??

 

[thebarber]

No matter what anybodies personal feelings are on Orton, he is the best thing they have going in the company. He is super over, but he is much better as a heel. Maybe a heel turn the Smackdown after Mania will lead to a heel Orton fueding with Champion Sheamus???Randy Orton was an arrogant grub outside of the ring, but he appears to have cleaned hisd act up since he got married and became a father. At the end of the day, he is an amazing talent but he is much easier to hate then to cheer. He is a natural heel and I think once he has gotten through his next face feud, he will turn heel. My opinion only

 

[LilShippy97_WWE]

I am a huge Orton fan. That said I would like to see a minor tweek to his character.I dont exactly know what though. The IWC fans always want change. Its just how it is. Everyone can gripe how much they want but Randy Orton is still the number two guy in the WWE. He is one of the faces of the WWE. He is great in the ring and 'good' on the mic.

 

[M]

I don't like Orton at all.
That being said, he is a very athletically gifted kid who can wrestle up a storm every day of the week, and he even carries over his "viper" character into his movements and facial expressions, which is a lot better than most of the roster can do. He's even very good looking too (I actually think that's the reason people cheer for him - ladies like him, guys like the ladies that like him, snowball effect)..
But none of that natural talent he possesses ever seems to carry onto his mic work, I just find him extremely dull to listen to and his facial movements during promos are the same every time he talks, it leaves a crap impression on me because if i wanted to watch a robot talk for extended periods of time, I'd watch a Stephen Hawking special.
His ring work and ability to get chicks is enough to dignify his top spot in the company though, so I do believe he does deserve respect.


He goes from having the personality of a wet carrot while he's talking, to acting like the flash on crack when he's in the ring.... I guess I should be impressed...?

 

[DaStar280]

as a person ive heard he's a whiney little prick who complains to high officials and he use to harass the divas but as a wrestler i use to be a big orton fan till recently he was one of the best heels specially as the legend killer but now hes walking the steps of super cena and his 4 moves of doom hes a better wrestler than cena but his gimmick is making him look dull and yes he look good against ziggler but ziggler can make anyone look good ziggler is probably the best skilled wrestler in the wwe who can sell any move but orton as a face doesn't fit his character he does the same moves over and over aka 4 moves of doom he's a great wrestler but his gimmick is pretty dull imo and he needs a good feud or least have wade barrett beat him again to even it out but he definately doesn't need the belt anytime soon or he will definately become super orton i rather have wade barrett or daniel bryan win and i like neither one of them

 

[Khalifa]

Orton is one of the best wrestlers, if not the best, the WWE has to offer for many reasons.

1) He can play both heel and face to perfection. A couple years ago when Randy was a monster heel, if someone was to tell me that Orton would be the top face of the company in 2011/2012 I would of said are you stupid? Only because he was doing so well as a heel (mainly because I didn't think he was getting boring). He had a faction in Legacy which was going alright for a few months as well as some pretty good feuds. However the face turn is very good to see. He is doing it very well as well. So he can play both heel and face to perfection.

2) His in ring work skills are actually underrated. He is a very good in ring worker and I don't think many people think about it because he is just always in the main event and too many people are bashing Cena. He can put on some very good matches and has definately has learnt how to go out and not be sloppy like he use to be. Every single match he is in you know he is now giving 110%

3) His mic skills are second to none. He is so good on the mic and like I said above, he is very underrated about it. Nobody seems to talk about how good his mic/promo skills actually are. Even back in 2004 when Orton was just a midcarder he was pulling fantastic promos.

So Orton is the full package and is one of my favourite wrestlers, he is one of WWE's best products without a doubt and will be a hall of famer when he retires.

 

[Ryberg]

I think he is kind of overrated. He was built to be a star and I actually liked him a lot when he was a heel. Now because he really has no personality he sucks as a face. When he was at least crazy heel Orton his lack of mic skills were overlook-able due to his craziness. Now he has just gotten really stale.

Yeah everyone knows he's a whiny little prick but so are a lot of wrestlers when they get big heads. Look at Cena who does things behind people's backs. Exactly why he and Hogan are legends, stabbing people in the back to get their way.

 

[DMaGic21]

I actually was thinking this the other day....why does the IWC frown on him so much. I would have started a forum but Im too lazy and have minimal posts which forces me to not do so.

He is a very good performer and his matches every week on Raw and Smackdown are usually the best matches on the show and how can we forget his feud with Punk last year. I feel that their match at Wrestlemania last year was the best "wrestling" match of the night.

He could use some work on the mic obviously but why does he need too? He comes out and performs every night and puts on a good show. I do wish he would punt people in the head more though.

 

[TakerDakSide]

I actually think Randy is a fairly good wrestler on his part. Yeah, I think he could work on his mic skills but still that's for another discussion.

What I like most Orton are his actions. The fact he backs up what his gimmick is all about. Remember his RKO'ing on Wade Barrett on top of a car a few weeks ago. That shows he's remorseless. Another would be his rivalries in '09 vs Cena & HHH. Through that I have very high hopes for Mr. Orton in the forseeable future.

 

[JaylisJayP]

When his character was getting worked on and was compelling, I liked him for his actions more than his mic skills. But since his move to Smackdown they've put zero effort into his character, content to have him coast as the "face" of Smackdown. I haven't watched Smackdown in more than a year, but I know he doesn't say a single word on Raw.

Randy Orton pre-Smackdown, like him a lot and always watched the Raw segments he was on. Randy Orton on Smackdown....no interest so no feeling one way or another.

But I do wish they'd put him back on Raw. I was fine with Edge being on Smackdown because I was so sick of his schtick and was glad not to have to watch him that much. The only other guys currently on Smackdown I'd like to see on Raw aside from Orton is Christian and Cody Rhodes. It doesn't really look like Barrett has evolved his character much (in fact it looks like he's regressed). Sheamus is another face for the kid audience it appears...Mark Henry and Show I can take or leave. Daniel Bryan maybe in a couple years.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Randy Orton, and this has been said to death, been damn good last year. He has had one of the best matches and come some way from his 'endless resthold' days.

I have no personal dislike towards him other than his Stupid Kofi incident. The man was the prodigy and had to deal with all he did at a young age. I have no idea how he is backstage or whatnot but apart from the Kennedy thing I haven't heard an ex-wrestler slam his attitude, especially since his motorcycle accident.

 

[Tyhump87]

I'm not a big Orton fan at all for several reasons. Yes, he's a solid wrestler but he doesn't really stand out in my eyes. His mic skills aren't great at all. I'd rather watch a meaningless PGA tourament than sit through one of his boring promos. His in ring performance needs to be at a much higher level to make up for his lacking mic skills. Benoit probably is my favorite wrestler ever. He couldn't talk but he wrestling was top tier. From what I hear he's a huge whiner backstage. And that Kofi Kingston incident from a few years bck still bothers me.

 

[King of the Words]

My opinion of Orton is as follows. he is a natural heel so as a face it doesn't work. His mic work has never really improved since the evolution days. He comes off as boring in the ring, same moves every week like Cena. He seems to have a bad temper at times, hence giving him the crazy character gimmick, hearing voices and what not is a good cover. Over all I think he is over rated. He has a great look and can wrestle half descent but I don't think that is enough for him to be the biggest name on Smackdown. Sheamus, Barrett, even Rhodes are all round better for that position.(IMO)

 

[Aeon Mathix]

To be honest and I am probably in the minority, I highly disliked Orton as a heel. He was awesome in his legend killer phase, even though that could have only lasted so long. I would say between 2006 to 2009 he was just god awful boring. There was NOTHING that made me want to watch him. He had no character development other than basically dropping the legend killer gimmick which left him with...nothing. I couldn't remember the last time I was so bored with a wrestler.

Thankfully he turned that all around when he DDT'd Stephanie and became basically psychotic (even though it turned out he wasn't which was probably one of the dumbest things WWE ever did). That's when I really feel he began to shine and turn into the man we see today. Orton is a great asset, he's mad over with the crowd everywhere he goes and constantly puts people over. He's still the second best behind I Cena I would say. You can't really make an argument for Punk or Sheamus because they don't have the reactions like Orton. Like him or not, he's here to stay and rightfully so

 

[NotaHippie]

I'm not a big fan of Orton for some reasons. Don't like him as a face, boring stuff like that. But I like watching his matches. He puts on good ones most of the time.

 

[Shotaro]

I think Orton is a consistant performer in the ring. He rarely seems to botch (to the point where he will flip the fuck out when someone else botches - see Kofi Kingston.) However, he is terrible on the mic; slow, boring, out right dull as ditchwater. For me it's a deal breaker. I think he is one of the worst guys on the mic in the whole WWE and it stops me from really getting into him as a star.

 

[aboynameddirt]

I think Orton is great in the ring and can work any persona he is given to an absolute T. He is talented in many aspects and is certainly one of the best in ring competitors that the WWE has to offer right now. He deserves to be one of the faces of the WWE.

With that being said, I'm totally against Orton having the WHC right now. Maybe in a few months he should take it for awhile again, but him having it now would just seem like WWE defaulting again.