Randy Orton - Thoughts?

[BronzyCoder]

Random change of topic: Randy Orton, how do you feel about him.

I like his style in the ring, but I think his face Viper character is too one-dimensional. He can work in that persona as a heel, and he worked well as a face back when he split from Triple H, at least in my opinion.

 

[Prodigy]

Everyone knows my thoughts on him by now, not going into detail because I think the problems I have with him are clear. One good thing I can say about him is the fact he is able to draw a reaction from the fans, that's it.

 

[Slim]

I can say I don't know your feelings and thoughts on him. So lets hear it.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

Randy Orton is the most under appreciated wrestler lately. People rip on this guy even though he put over Team Barrett at Survivor Series. People hate his guys and it annoys me. His DVD was great and for the most part, he's always been awesome. His mic work could improve but that's not his character. His character is to kill people and he's done a great job. People should respect him more.

 

[PHX]

This should be interesting given the hate the guy gets on here as of late. I think in ring he is as good as anybody this year and think he'll keep getting better. My issue with him is that he's become content with the whole Viper thing so not adding thing to it and just going through the motions when it comes to his mic work and character. Think he needs to work on that but in ring guy is as good as he has ever been right now.

 

[Crippler]

i think the guy is the total package in the ring, looks and stuff like that the only bad thing is his mic work. Maybe because he talks so slow its like hes trying to say 1 word per minute.

 

[PHX]

If he mixed his mic work and character from the feud he had with HHH in 09 with his ring work now

 

[John McHenry]

Randy Orton has been one dimensional since he left Evolution and it just works even worse as a face because he's not really a face. Nothing that he does other than facing Heels and tagging with Faces actually makes him a face. Think the last storyline where he said something more than I'mma beat your ass was when Jericho came back the last time. Which is kind of a shame because he does have skills when allowed to use them. He's even been putting over guys lately so it really is a shame he's going to become one of those types like Kane or Big Show if he doesn't get a decent storyline soon.

 

[Aniking]

To me it seems as if he's content with his entire character just because he gets big pops at various times throughout his matches and during his entrance. I get he's a "face" and all and getting big pops is exactly what's needed, but he doesn't do anything different to get them.

I think Orton's great to watch in the ring and I'm liking what he and Barrett have been able to do in the ring during their feud, but The Viper character has been the exact same for too long now. The whole "OMG RKO OUT OF NOWHERE" doesn't do it for me anymore as it's majorly overplayed. The moment Barrett started to climb the turnbuckle at TLC, I knew he'd be RKOed through the table.

Orton doesn't change it up and does nothing new, but in saying that I'm pleased to see he's putting over guys like Rhodes and Barrett here and there. They may not have won their PPV matches against him, but they've done extremely well leading up to it, and credit goes to Orton for allowing them to do that.

Did anyone else enjoy watching Barrett Wasteland Orton through a table on Raw?

 

[The New F'n Show]

Haven't been a big fan since Triple H squashed him like a bug. He's OK in the ring, light years from where he used to be but he bores the living hell out of me. I respect him and think he has earned his spot, but I will never go out of my way to watch him.

 

[Blujay]

I guess I've never really been a fan of Orton's from the get-go. Nothing about him draws me in. Not the character, his look, his promos (or lackthereof), his in ring skills. Nothing. Sure he's cleaned up his wrestling to the point that he's crisper than bacon but who cares when every match follows typically the same formula? Sadly this the extent of my opinion on the man, I really just don't care about him.

 

[The Cork]

People still dog on the guy for being boring, and granted, he was dire earlier this year, but hes been given like no mic time recently and has consistently been the best 'wrestler' on the roster in 2011.

They are playing to his strengths and its paying off. Not to mention, hes also put a lot of guys over strong this year, Cody, Barrett, Christian and Henry.

 

[Tooey]

He's really grown a lot on me this year ever since the move to Smackdown. As The Cork above me stated, they're playing to his strengths. I've never really found myself emotionally invested in one of his matches but his series with Christian really changed that a lot. He brought out some new stuff(Goat's curse <3) but still used what got him to that position. I think he's one of if not the best seller in the company excluding Evan Bourne.

 

[Defiant]

I have mixed feelings for Orton.

I think he is very capable in the ring and puts on some very good matches when the chemistry is right (Christian, Undertaker, etc), he has one of the best looks in WWE, he DOES put guys over contrary to popular claim, and I think his abilities on the mic are there but the intense Viper gimmick hinders that a bit.

... Which brings me to what I don't like about Randy. Basically, he's stale. The Viper gimmick is restricting and one-dimensional, forced down our throats to the point where he has become predictable. Over the years of Orton's career I've loved him, hated him, loved him, etc. in a loop with every turn and change to his character. And I really enjoyed that, I liked the fact that I couldn't even pin down my opinion of Orton in any solid way. He was always changing.

But that has stopped. He's had the Viper-like persona for a few years now and been a babyface for a couple of years to date, but my problem is that he has stopped Evolving and changing. If I'm going to enjoy Orton again then he needs to do something new, and I'm not just talking about a heel turn. He needs some kind of overhaul.

 

[Deuce]

I think he was better as a Heel, he was much more entertaining to me and that was when he was in his prime which made it so much better. The guy is a decent to watch and can get the crowd going easily but I would prefer him going back to his old Heel gimmick.