When Stone Cold Steve Austin turned heel at Wrestlemania 17, in one of the biggest and most shocking turns ever, aligning himself with the Devil himself- Mr. Mcmahon, what followed was quite engrossing TV. Two-man power trip with Austin and HHH being the top dogs against Kane and The Undertaker, with amazing wrestlers and mid-card talents Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit in the mix had us see some of the most amazing and novel TV Episodes on Raw and Smackdown. With The Rock injured, HHH and Chris Benoit's injury and subsequent departure in June, the only way WWF(then) could be saved was by the infusion and advent of former ECW and WCW wrestlers and the subsequent Invasion Angle.
Austin wasn't just an everyday heel. He was vicious, he was cowardly, he inspired you to loathe him, his sneers, his contempt of Debra's cookies, the scenes in Mcmahon's office, the hilarity and hatred of it all, everything was truly classic.
Contrast that with Randy Orton's heel turn from Summerslam 2013 and the subsequent stories and rivalries. I opine that the attention or spotlight and highlight of the show since Summerslam has been ANYONE but Orton. Example, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan.
At this juncture of Orton's career, having done almost all there is to do, and having defeated everyone there is to defeat(HHH, Batista, Cena, Rob Van Dam, Benoit, Angle, etc. the list is endless), having protracted his feuds with HHH, Cena, and now Batista, beyond the limits of protraction, Randy Orton exclaims of absolute BOREDOM. At least I think that .And besides, what we, the IWC had been complaining for almost two years from 2011-2013, an Orton heel turn, had been accomplished, and now almost 9 months later, there's no way to describe it but, Blank, Lacklustre, Boring, Crappy .
The reasons for this are obvious. HHH and Stephanie, the so-called Authority and the Creative have failed to make Orton compelling in the audience's perspective, and thus the audience's perception of Orton is anything but compelling or must-see. He can neither cause you to loathe and abhor him(unlike Austin) nor can he inspire hilarious TV segments(Unlike Austin). Heck, the conspicuous proof to it is Bryan and Roman Reigns getting bigger reactions. The creative hasn't booked Orton as the Vicious, Smirking, Sneering heel that was Austin and that should be Orton. He doesn't hit you with chairs from behind, he doesn't drop an RKO on fan-favourites out of nowhere. He does NOTHING, but complain the "Authority" who treat him like a subservient quasi-face of the WWE. Nor has he been a full-fledged heel but the mixture of The Authority(ambivalent) and Randy Orton(Ambivalent) has given us tenfold ambivalence.
Has Randy Orton been done? Has he lost it? How many more monotonous matches and promos? How many more Heel or Face turns? The last thing remaining for Orton to do(and that's not losing and regaining the WWE WHC) is a giant stride, a big leap, a paradigm shift in his TV character/role. Surprisingly, I'm of the opinion that he needs it much more than John Cena, to save his career. Because it has only been a given that he be inserted in main events by virtue of having been and done things a decade ago.
Here's is my solution:- (And no, I do not wish WWE creative writers to note this down, and execute it)
Combine Randy Orton's expertise and veteranship with potential relatively young(late 20s to early 30s) superstars, bring back Ric Flair(or some other legend who can talk and walk like Flair) and there you have it .Renaissance of Evolution. or Revolution. (Hope there hasn't really been a big faction called Revolution, not Re+Evolution anyways). I would include Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Randy Orton is today's HHH. Ric Flair is still Ric Flair. The potential this new faction or 4-superstar group could have is hardly imaginable or describable. Imagine a face Roman Reigns going after Orton and subsequent 3-on-1 beatdowns. I can already imagine Rhodes and Sandow.
Some would say Rhodes is too good to unite once again with Randy Orton and that he's paid his dues quite enough in the last 7 years. But, the last time it was a jaded faction, though enjoyable and entertaining at times. This would be a Revolution. Sandow's character and mic skills are pleasurable. All 3 would look good together, and the 4th member could either be another young future star, or a legend with mic skills. Because somebody's got to be the talker. Sandow and Rhodes can be tag champs for a while, then chase singles titles. The group needn't last 4 yrs, nor 2. A year would be good. At least for a Randy Orton who has seemed to everlastingly be devoid of any light.
Austin wasn't just an everyday heel. He was vicious, he was cowardly, he inspired you to loathe him, his sneers, his contempt of Debra's cookies, the scenes in Mcmahon's office, the hilarity and hatred of it all, everything was truly classic.
Contrast that with Randy Orton's heel turn from Summerslam 2013 and the subsequent stories and rivalries. I opine that the attention or spotlight and highlight of the show since Summerslam has been ANYONE but Orton. Example, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan.
At this juncture of Orton's career, having done almost all there is to do, and having defeated everyone there is to defeat(HHH, Batista, Cena, Rob Van Dam, Benoit, Angle, etc. the list is endless), having protracted his feuds with HHH, Cena, and now Batista, beyond the limits of protraction, Randy Orton exclaims of absolute BOREDOM. At least I think that .And besides, what we, the IWC had been complaining for almost two years from 2011-2013, an Orton heel turn, had been accomplished, and now almost 9 months later, there's no way to describe it but, Blank, Lacklustre, Boring, Crappy .
The reasons for this are obvious. HHH and Stephanie, the so-called Authority and the Creative have failed to make Orton compelling in the audience's perspective, and thus the audience's perception of Orton is anything but compelling or must-see. He can neither cause you to loathe and abhor him(unlike Austin) nor can he inspire hilarious TV segments(Unlike Austin). Heck, the conspicuous proof to it is Bryan and Roman Reigns getting bigger reactions. The creative hasn't booked Orton as the Vicious, Smirking, Sneering heel that was Austin and that should be Orton. He doesn't hit you with chairs from behind, he doesn't drop an RKO on fan-favourites out of nowhere. He does NOTHING, but complain the "Authority" who treat him like a subservient quasi-face of the WWE. Nor has he been a full-fledged heel but the mixture of The Authority(ambivalent) and Randy Orton(Ambivalent) has given us tenfold ambivalence.
Has Randy Orton been done? Has he lost it? How many more monotonous matches and promos? How many more Heel or Face turns? The last thing remaining for Orton to do(and that's not losing and regaining the WWE WHC) is a giant stride, a big leap, a paradigm shift in his TV character/role. Surprisingly, I'm of the opinion that he needs it much more than John Cena, to save his career. Because it has only been a given that he be inserted in main events by virtue of having been and done things a decade ago.
Here's is my solution:- (And no, I do not wish WWE creative writers to note this down, and execute it)
Combine Randy Orton's expertise and veteranship with potential relatively young(late 20s to early 30s) superstars, bring back Ric Flair(or some other legend who can talk and walk like Flair) and there you have it .Renaissance of Evolution. or Revolution. (Hope there hasn't really been a big faction called Revolution, not Re+Evolution anyways). I would include Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Randy Orton is today's HHH. Ric Flair is still Ric Flair. The potential this new faction or 4-superstar group could have is hardly imaginable or describable. Imagine a face Roman Reigns going after Orton and subsequent 3-on-1 beatdowns. I can already imagine Rhodes and Sandow.
Some would say Rhodes is too good to unite once again with Randy Orton and that he's paid his dues quite enough in the last 7 years. But, the last time it was a jaded faction, though enjoyable and entertaining at times. This would be a Revolution. Sandow's character and mic skills are pleasurable. All 3 would look good together, and the 4th member could either be another young future star, or a legend with mic skills. Because somebody's got to be the talker. Sandow and Rhodes can be tag champs for a while, then chase singles titles. The group needn't last 4 yrs, nor 2. A year would be good. At least for a Randy Orton who has seemed to everlastingly be devoid of any light.
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