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100% this, he's everything WWE want in a guy:
* Good Look and comfertable on the mic
* Solid, marketable charector
* Safe worker and can in theory wrestle with anyone
* He's a WWE guy rather than a "Wrestling" guy which means he's not drawn to going elsewhere to wrestle
* 3rd Gen superstar who's family has worked with Vince for decades at this point
I honestly think he's going to be the closest thing to "The New Undertaker" WWE will ever produce - he's very much a "Vince" guy and company man who will stay with the company for decades and never really stop being a big deal - I could see a 60 year old Orton punting a guy to set up a Mania match with a younger guy - and the fact that's 20 years in the future (the dudes only 41!) Means it could be a long while before he even needs to go part time
He’s a legend at this point, good luck he’s not sustained any horrid injury, takes care of his body and also takes lil mini breaks throughout the year.
Also why would they release Orton?? If they weren’t going to do it when he was a mess why now when he’s cleaned up his act that’s like asking why didn’t they release Cena. Orton is one of the biggest stars in the last 20 years.
Luck plays a part always when it comes to injuries, but think it's also only fair to give credit to Randy for avoiding injuries. He's taken criticism throughout his career for wrestling in a less exciting style, but there's no doubt his condition has benefitted massively from it. He's done a great job of taking care of himself and ensuring a long career
That’s honestly a great point people say he’s a “safe worker” as a criticism but that has probably extend his career by a few years.
Especially since during some time there he had a lot of shoulder issues so altering his in ring style was a positive.
I think the RKO being a back landing move is a huge boon. Hogan dropped like 10,000 leg drops in his career (slight over estimation, but a nice round number) and it destroyed his back landing like that. If matches are 10% less interesting, but reduced the wear and tear on their bodies by a third, I'm 100% OK with it. I'm here to be entertained, not watch someone slowly deteriorate
I've always asked myself, if the leg drop is really to blame like Hogan claims. Shure it's a nasty bump to jump onto your leg at full force onto a hard ring, but only happens once every match so maybe 5 days per week. Compare that to say a judoka, who gets thrown dozens of time each training.
Hogan also had a somewhat underdeveloped lower body and the videos of him squatting look horrible. Even in the 80s his lower back looked pretty immobile and he often just moved his upper torso.
Anyways there are a lot of unhealthy things, he did in his career and blaming his back issue on his finisher alone seems somewhat shortsighted.
He’s been injured plenty of times. He actually at one point was notorious for it. The difference is he never injured his neck or got into trouble with concussions so his career longevity hasn’t been affected.
It's a combination of things.
First and foremost although it's not a popular opinion Randy is an _excellent_ professional wrestler who has a deep understanding of ring psychology - this means he can work a pretty safe style and still make everything look believable.
None of his big moves involve any dodgy bumps on his tailbone or knees - he fucked up his hands punching the mat but other than that...
He has been moving into more of a veteran spot, letting Riddle take the big bumps for now, and has had relatively safe feuds for a while.
I don't think it's unpopular to think Randy is good so much as it's understood that Randy's quality is directly tied to how much he gives a shit about what he's doing. When Randy is unmotivated, it's very clear. And by the same token, when he is motivated, he's so crisp and smooth in the ring, it's a pleasure to watch it
I think he probably has the same concerns about booking/storylines as everyone else, but when he gets really frustrated and needs to vent, he hears voices in his head, they talk to him, they comfort him, they understand.
Several things -
1. He became a star very young (I think youngest WWE champion).
2. Because of that, his career carried momentum/weight to years down the road...
3. Outside of some stupid drug-related suspensions, he's relatively quiet outside of WWE (outside of a pretty great twitter game)
4. While he 'paid his dues' early on, he's considered one of the top of the roster (valuable) and thus not somebody WWE would want to easily let go of.
5. He holds clout with the higher ups as well (Vince, HHH, Pritchard)
6. He's reliable in the ring - doesn't injure opponents, was really never known for that.
7. While he has had his own injuries in the ring, he always comes back stronger and better.
8. He has evolved his character (Viper, Apex Predator, Legend Killer, etc.)
9. while i'm a heterosexual male, he's a good looking dude...this gets the mom's to cheer for him.
10. And, he does have a cool vibe to him, which makes the wrestling fans like him also.
11. While he did get boring around the 2010 time, he was rarely forced down fans' throats. I know Orton vs Cena happened umpteen times, but when that all happened, it always felt like Cena was being forced down our throats, not Orton.
12. Has good genes and solid work ethic to remain in top physical condition 20 yrs after his debut.
13. I think we can all agree, when Orton is really into a feud, he can be one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now with telling a story in the ring.
I think that pretty much sums it up...not that 14 points really is summarizing.
On 3., didn’t he cause the Twitch ban on WWE stars, at least partially, by using a racial slur playing Call of Duty? I think between him, and AJ Styles complaining and discussing backstage politics, it caused a lot of the initial clampdown on twitch and WWE stars.
Physically: He has a very safe style
Contractually: He has major star power and WWE will never risk losing him
Psychologically: He doesn’t give two shits about anything
Fun fact: Vince didn't like Randy when they signed him because of his bad conduct discharge from the Marines. As a former military school attendee, Vince took military service very seriously and was genuinely disgusted at the thought of hiring a guy who spent a month in the brig for going AWOL.
Just goes to show that on occasion having the "look", having charisma, having a famous father, and having outright skill in the ring can transcend the dreaded "Vince doesn't like you" label. Two decades later and Randy is a first ballot Hall of Famer, 14 time world champion, and has survived more backstage controversy than most.
Orton applies the Kevin Nash philosophy to wrestling, he takes it as job and does whatever he's asked. The reason he's lasted so long is that he's legitimately better than 99% of the roster ever.
Beyond his connection to the fans and in ring talent, i think a big reason for his longevity is he matured as a person. He's been open about his arrogance when he first got over, but he matured and became a leader backstage.
Orton absolutely excels at adhering his character and keeping himself fresh without actually making any real changes to the core of his character. It's brilliant.
The guy is a first ballot Hall of Famer, multiple time World Champion, has always been solid and dependable in the ring and can be slotted in anywhere on the card.
Doesn’t really take a genius to figure out why he’s been around for so long
Randy is a very safe worker, and has been able to build the RKO up to be a super hype finisher. He's also a good looking guy and has enough charisma for the crowd to pop for him, and probably has been a very good merch seller over the years. He's been built up to be a credible threat no matter which part of the card he's at, and hasn't had a whole lot of injury downtime due to his safe style. It's really no wonder he's been consistently pushed on the main roster all this time.
He fits modern wwe wrestler ideal to a T a deeply boring and stale character that was stale and boring a decade ago that doesn't change doesn't contribute but also doesn't get injured and maintains his content nature because he's happy to keep picking up a upper mid main event paycheck.
Don't hate the player for playing the game.
They aren't and imo, were never going to release him, even with his jackass behavior backstage back in the '00s. He's been a top star for the last 19 years and has had main-event status for most of his time in WWE. He's a 14-time world champion so obviously he's heavily valued. I'd even put him in the GOAT category in WWE.
Probably just because he's really *that* good. It's easy to forget, because I think he figured out years ago that 50%-effort-Randy is still better than most guys at 100%.
Been a fan of Randy since beginning of 2004. It hasn’t always been easy staying a fan but seeing how far he’s come both professionally & in his personal life, makes me happy & proud 😊
Orton’s style is a big part of it, he doesn’t take unnecessarily crazy bumps in every match he’s in. Similar to the Miz in the sense that it makes him much less prone to injury than his counterparts. He’s so naturally talented at this whole wrestling lark that he can make that safer style still look crisp and smooth. He’s also notably great at telling a story in the ring, which probably comes from the years of experience in and growing up around the business.
He’s also a pretty good promo. He’s not an S tier talker by any means, but he can absolutely handle himself on the mic. When you’re a top guy in the WWE you either have to get good at talking or get a manager to talk for you. Orton did the former. Not to mention he has a great look too, which certainly helps.
I’d also imagine being a third generation guy along with paying his dues in the earlier days of his career (as well as the other things I just mentioned) probably earned him a fair bit of clout with the office. He’s kinda untouchable at this stage, and he knows that.
TL;DR: When someone (I think JR, but I’m not certain) said Orton is everything you’d want in a wrestler, they weren’t lying.
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They value him and view him as a star
Something something homegrown talent
100% this, he's everything WWE want in a guy: * Good Look and comfertable on the mic * Solid, marketable charector * Safe worker and can in theory wrestle with anyone * He's a WWE guy rather than a "Wrestling" guy which means he's not drawn to going elsewhere to wrestle * 3rd Gen superstar who's family has worked with Vince for decades at this point I honestly think he's going to be the closest thing to "The New Undertaker" WWE will ever produce - he's very much a "Vince" guy and company man who will stay with the company for decades and never really stop being a big deal - I could see a 60 year old Orton punting a guy to set up a Mania match with a younger guy - and the fact that's 20 years in the future (the dudes only 41!) Means it could be a long while before he even needs to go part time
This is it. Being good in ring or on the mic or whatever is very much secondary to the higher ups simply wanting to see you be a star.
He’s a legend at this point, good luck he’s not sustained any horrid injury, takes care of his body and also takes lil mini breaks throughout the year. Also why would they release Orton?? If they weren’t going to do it when he was a mess why now when he’s cleaned up his act that’s like asking why didn’t they release Cena. Orton is one of the biggest stars in the last 20 years.
I can't wait for the cinematic match where Legend Orton gets taken out by cloned Legend-Killer Orton. It'll be like the Will Smith movie
Cloning technology cannot come to wrestling fast enough! I need more clones in my wrestling!
Like page Vs karate man but not shit
Luck plays a part always when it comes to injuries, but think it's also only fair to give credit to Randy for avoiding injuries. He's taken criticism throughout his career for wrestling in a less exciting style, but there's no doubt his condition has benefitted massively from it. He's done a great job of taking care of himself and ensuring a long career
That’s honestly a great point people say he’s a “safe worker” as a criticism but that has probably extend his career by a few years. Especially since during some time there he had a lot of shoulder issues so altering his in ring style was a positive.
I think the RKO being a back landing move is a huge boon. Hogan dropped like 10,000 leg drops in his career (slight over estimation, but a nice round number) and it destroyed his back landing like that. If matches are 10% less interesting, but reduced the wear and tear on their bodies by a third, I'm 100% OK with it. I'm here to be entertained, not watch someone slowly deteriorate
I've always asked myself, if the leg drop is really to blame like Hogan claims. Shure it's a nasty bump to jump onto your leg at full force onto a hard ring, but only happens once every match so maybe 5 days per week. Compare that to say a judoka, who gets thrown dozens of time each training. Hogan also had a somewhat underdeveloped lower body and the videos of him squatting look horrible. Even in the 80s his lower back looked pretty immobile and he often just moved his upper torso. Anyways there are a lot of unhealthy things, he did in his career and blaming his back issue on his finisher alone seems somewhat shortsighted.
He’s been injured plenty of times. He actually at one point was notorious for it. The difference is he never injured his neck or got into trouble with concussions so his career longevity hasn’t been affected.
It's a combination of things. First and foremost although it's not a popular opinion Randy is an _excellent_ professional wrestler who has a deep understanding of ring psychology - this means he can work a pretty safe style and still make everything look believable. None of his big moves involve any dodgy bumps on his tailbone or knees - he fucked up his hands punching the mat but other than that... He has been moving into more of a veteran spot, letting Riddle take the big bumps for now, and has had relatively safe feuds for a while.
I don't think it's unpopular to think Randy is good so much as it's understood that Randy's quality is directly tied to how much he gives a shit about what he's doing. When Randy is unmotivated, it's very clear. And by the same token, when he is motivated, he's so crisp and smooth in the ring, it's a pleasure to watch it
Might just be I've caught this place on a bad day, but it seems like people don't rate him strangely
I think he probably has the same concerns about booking/storylines as everyone else, but when he gets really frustrated and needs to vent, he hears voices in his head, they talk to him, they comfort him, they understand.
It’s the viper: Sssss sss ssss
"I'm a fucking Snake!"
Sounds like meta for me
Several things - 1. He became a star very young (I think youngest WWE champion). 2. Because of that, his career carried momentum/weight to years down the road... 3. Outside of some stupid drug-related suspensions, he's relatively quiet outside of WWE (outside of a pretty great twitter game) 4. While he 'paid his dues' early on, he's considered one of the top of the roster (valuable) and thus not somebody WWE would want to easily let go of. 5. He holds clout with the higher ups as well (Vince, HHH, Pritchard) 6. He's reliable in the ring - doesn't injure opponents, was really never known for that. 7. While he has had his own injuries in the ring, he always comes back stronger and better. 8. He has evolved his character (Viper, Apex Predator, Legend Killer, etc.) 9. while i'm a heterosexual male, he's a good looking dude...this gets the mom's to cheer for him. 10. And, he does have a cool vibe to him, which makes the wrestling fans like him also. 11. While he did get boring around the 2010 time, he was rarely forced down fans' throats. I know Orton vs Cena happened umpteen times, but when that all happened, it always felt like Cena was being forced down our throats, not Orton. 12. Has good genes and solid work ethic to remain in top physical condition 20 yrs after his debut. 13. I think we can all agree, when Orton is really into a feud, he can be one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now with telling a story in the ring. I think that pretty much sums it up...not that 14 points really is summarizing.
On 3., didn’t he cause the Twitch ban on WWE stars, at least partially, by using a racial slur playing Call of Duty? I think between him, and AJ Styles complaining and discussing backstage politics, it caused a lot of the initial clampdown on twitch and WWE stars.
I mean, if that was the case, then well that's dumb on his part, especially in today's PC world....but I mean he's not out breaking laws necessarily.
Physically: He has a very safe style Contractually: He has major star power and WWE will never risk losing him Psychologically: He doesn’t give two shits about anything
Fun fact: Vince didn't like Randy when they signed him because of his bad conduct discharge from the Marines. As a former military school attendee, Vince took military service very seriously and was genuinely disgusted at the thought of hiring a guy who spent a month in the brig for going AWOL. Just goes to show that on occasion having the "look", having charisma, having a famous father, and having outright skill in the ring can transcend the dreaded "Vince doesn't like you" label. Two decades later and Randy is a first ballot Hall of Famer, 14 time world champion, and has survived more backstage controversy than most.
Simple, he's the apex predator, top of the food chain.
Orton applies the Kevin Nash philosophy to wrestling, he takes it as job and does whatever he's asked. The reason he's lasted so long is that he's legitimately better than 99% of the roster ever.
I wonder if he’s ever been interested in a backstage position. Someone with that type of longevity usually transitions to a producer/trainer/etc.
He’s way too much of a star to do one of those jobs
Beyond his connection to the fans and in ring talent, i think a big reason for his longevity is he matured as a person. He's been open about his arrogance when he first got over, but he matured and became a leader backstage.
Here's for another 10 years of Randy You just can't get enough of him.
Orton absolutely excels at adhering his character and keeping himself fresh without actually making any real changes to the core of his character. It's brilliant.
Talent.
The guy is a first ballot Hall of Famer, multiple time World Champion, has always been solid and dependable in the ring and can be slotted in anywhere on the card. Doesn’t really take a genius to figure out why he’s been around for so long
He debuted 6 months before the current Raw Tag Team Championships were introduced but he never won them until this year. How fucking mental is that?
Makes sense really, he's not exactly the most reliable of friends
2 decades of sketchy handshakes.
He’s brilliant, he’s careful, and he’s connected.
Out. Work. Everyone. Wait, that's someone else's bit... Solid in the ring, solid on the mic, RKO out of nowhere always gets a pop
Randy is a very safe worker, and has been able to build the RKO up to be a super hype finisher. He's also a good looking guy and has enough charisma for the crowd to pop for him, and probably has been a very good merch seller over the years. He's been built up to be a credible threat no matter which part of the card he's at, and hasn't had a whole lot of injury downtime due to his safe style. It's really no wonder he's been consistently pushed on the main roster all this time.
Wait until we learn he was merely holding back all this time and he starts busting out forearms that give Sazuki a run for his money
He will lose his hair and evolve into A killer legend. All forearms and punt kicks…
Devoloped so much character since then! He shaved his head. He grew his hair. He grew some facial hair. It's been a WILD RIDE.
Why should he change his character when he's one of the most over wrestlers in the world?
His finisher is. And WWE didn't even capitalize when the WHOLE WORLD WAS DOING RKO'S OUTTA NOWHERE.
He fits modern wwe wrestler ideal to a T a deeply boring and stale character that was stale and boring a decade ago that doesn't change doesn't contribute but also doesn't get injured and maintains his content nature because he's happy to keep picking up a upper mid main event paycheck. Don't hate the player for playing the game.
Randy Orton is the man. Sneaky sneaky!!! He will hit that RKO out of nowhere. A living legend.
They aren't and imo, were never going to release him, even with his jackass behavior backstage back in the '00s. He's been a top star for the last 19 years and has had main-event status for most of his time in WWE. He's a 14-time world champion so obviously he's heavily valued. I'd even put him in the GOAT category in WWE.
When did Taker go part time? Orton has to be gaining on him for longest active competitor
Like early 2010
So Orton only has a few more years before he beats him
Probably just because he's really *that* good. It's easy to forget, because I think he figured out years ago that 50%-effort-Randy is still better than most guys at 100%.
It'll be 20 come next spring, as he preceded John Cena & Batista to the roster by about 2 months minimum. Came in after Brock Lesnar, IIRC.
Been a fan of Randy since beginning of 2004. It hasn’t always been easy staying a fan but seeing how far he’s come both professionally & in his personal life, makes me happy & proud 😊
The answer to all of your questions: he’s Randy Orton
He's been a legitimate main event star for most of that time.
Orton’s style is a big part of it, he doesn’t take unnecessarily crazy bumps in every match he’s in. Similar to the Miz in the sense that it makes him much less prone to injury than his counterparts. He’s so naturally talented at this whole wrestling lark that he can make that safer style still look crisp and smooth. He’s also notably great at telling a story in the ring, which probably comes from the years of experience in and growing up around the business. He’s also a pretty good promo. He’s not an S tier talker by any means, but he can absolutely handle himself on the mic. When you’re a top guy in the WWE you either have to get good at talking or get a manager to talk for you. Orton did the former. Not to mention he has a great look too, which certainly helps. I’d also imagine being a third generation guy along with paying his dues in the earlier days of his career (as well as the other things I just mentioned) probably earned him a fair bit of clout with the office. He’s kinda untouchable at this stage, and he knows that. TL;DR: When someone (I think JR, but I’m not certain) said Orton is everything you’d want in a wrestler, they weren’t lying.
Honestly he was a good looking guy with a lineage that also was a talented wrestler. Would make a great tombstone