Can you imagine Randy Orton repackaged as a hairy, thick bearded, ruthless backwoods cult member?
With all the suggestions as to what might be done with Orton's character, I keep coming back to this: How much power does he actually possess in the organization......which is to say, how much creative control does he have over his own situation?
Through the years, he's been in and out of trouble with the organization for stuff he's done while on tour (tearing up hotel rooms + only heaven knows what he's ingested in his system), doing things that might earn suspensions for less influential employees.....yet, while we've read how Randy
might get suspended, he never does, right? Could it be due to his standing and power in the company? (To paraphrase "Animal Farm"..."
All wrestlers are equal but some wrestlers are more equal than others")
What's my point? Only to say that some radical changes might have already been suggested for Randy's persona by WWE Creative, only to be shot down by Orton, who insists on portraying a "Mr. Cool" type character, whether he's heel, face or 'tweener. To that end, he might have simply rejected the idea of bearding-up and joining Bray's gang......plus many other possibilities brought to him that he simply wouldn't hear of.
But while he was able to accept or reject suggestions in better times, I think he's at the point he should start looking at things a different way. There have been some improvements: in the past few years, he occasionally loses matches cleanly, which is something that never used to happen. Also, that he has permitted himself to be cast as a follower of a higher power (The Authority) goes totally against the "loner" image under which he was always portrayed.
Yet still, his character has lost a lot of luster. He's the same technically proficient performer he always was, but his star has dimmed and he's no longer one of the top 3 in WWE.
Time for a radical change in the way he's presented. Everything I've said here speculates that he has the power to not do anything he doesn't want.....but who really knows? He already seems to have made some concessions. Like it or not, it's tough to stay at the top while playing the same character you've always played. Even guys like Hulk Hogan were eventually compelled to try something new and
very different.
It's Randy's turn.
