Randy Orton and Christian

[Troy]

The first Smackdown after Extreme Rules Christian and Randy Orton had a great match for the title. Yes there was a lot of complaints about the title change but putting that aside it was one of the best television matches in recent memory. On Over The Limit tonight they had the MOTN and it was one of the best matches of the year so far. Excellent back and forth match and it would have been better if they crowd weren't so quiet the entire night. So many near falls and reversals at the end and the finish was great. Both guys looked really strong and this feud isn't ending here.

When this feud first started I didn't expect great matches because I didn't think that Orton had it in him. Christian and Orton have worked wonders together and the chemistry they have is amazing.

What are your thoughts on their matches so far and their feud so far? What do you expect to see happen next?

 

[Andrew]

I love the chemistry; I want both to continue the feud with twists and turns, teasing of a heel turn here and there. I'd rather another Singles match between the two then MITB we see the Fatal Four Way. It's what I see best but I have a feeling Capitol Punishment will have the four way

 

[Troy]

The aftermath of the PPV match was interesting. Christian initially pushed Orton away when Orton when to shake his hand. Christian then comes back and ends up shaking his hand. So there was a hint of frustration from Christian and that may lead to that heel turn.

This feud needs to continue for some time because they just continue to produce excellent matches and the backstage interview with both of them was good as well. The face vs. face feud is working well for them. I feel that at the next PPV it will be a fatal fourway but then they will go back to a singles match at SummerSlam where this will be one of the big draws.

 

[Deezy]

As much as I don't enjoy Ortons overall workrate, with the right opponent he can make magic. Much like Lex Luger in that way. This feud can carry Smackdown for a few months. Should be interesting to see if Christian remains the main challenger. Because lets face it, Smackdown really doesn't have anyone that looks like a threat to Orton besides Christian. Mark Henry and Sheamus as much as a fan I am of both of them, have been booked terribly over the last 6 months. It would take some time to get them at that level needed to look credible.

 

[Troy]

In a way WWE have been lucky with how well these two work together. They are clearly the top two guys on Smackdown and there is a big gap to the next level due to poor booking of potential opponents. If they didn't have this chemistry then Smackdown would be much worse off. This feud will, and has to, carry the brand for a few more months at least until there is a credible challenger. I look forward to it though because I can't fault what they have done so far.

 

[Andrew]

Orton and Christian pulled off a few moves they rarely do and if Orton can use that Submission as an actual finisher to go with his RKO then I'm all for it. I'm starting to like Orton a bit more somehow; I was pissed when Christian had that short reign of course but the match he's carried and today just shows a face vs. face feud can actually work and the crowd was red hot. I hope they do continue it because I actually enjoyed the match today and it really works here especially with Christian's frustration and Orton wanting to Punt Christian but couldn't.

 

[Aniking]

I watched the Smackdown match they both had and it was great, no doubt about it. I didn't get to watch Over The Limit, so all I know about their match was the outcome, but I've read 2-3 Over The Limit reviews from different wrestling sites and all have rated their match highly. This could be a big thing for Smackdown considering RAW is the flagship show, so if this feud gets fans talking about it then hopefully ratings will increase. As much as we were all pissed that Christian lost the title after 5 days, there was no way a feud wasn't going to be made out of it. The success of it depends on the quality of the matches, and it's apparent that that department is aces.

Now I'm a fan of Mark Henry and Sheamus and am happy to see them in the Smackdown main event scene, but I agree with deezy when he says they've been booked terribly over the past 6 months. Henry's heel turn and Sheamus losing the US title when both were drafted signalled that they'd have some sort of part on Smackdown, and so far its been great. Personally, the WWE should use Sheamus better than Henry in the long run. Can you imagine the Christian/Orton feud ending, only for Henry to be next in line. I don't think the matches would be very good.

 

[Andrew]

Henry will be next in line; I've heard he will get one last run before he retires in April next year so most likely he'd get a two month reign or something. I'd much prefer Sheamus to feud with Christian if Orton continues and retains; a fatal four way would be really nice and something new but I don't like how Cody Rhodes is left behind. Unless Zeke wins the title at CP or beforehand; SD has too many heels and one needs to turn face.

 

[Aniking]

I would love to see Mark Henry as World Heavyweight Champion, I think that'd be awesome for him, especially after I watched the backstage interview with him during the draft show that was put on WWE.com. He has worked hard to get himself in shape and he knows he can be something big. It's clear he doesn't lack the self-belief, which is great to see, but I just fear for the quality of matches when it's coming after what Christian and Randy Orton produced.

If an Orton/Sheamus feud is to be revived in the future, I hope it's not for months yet. I'd like to see the Christian/Orton feud go longer, then Orton feuds with Henry while Sheamus feuds with Christian, and when they're all finished, Sheamus can have his turn. It just puts their WWE Championship feud further in the past and would keep this one a little fresher than it would be if it was done earlier.

Lastly, I agree with Andrew that Smackdown has too many heels, or at least more main event/main event potential heels than faces. At the moment, we have Christian and Randy Orton as the faces, while Mark Henry and Sheamus are the heels. You look further down the order, you have Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett and Kane. Problem is that's 2 more heels and only 1 face, although 2 out of those 3 are currently champions and have their title to worry about. The WWE will need to elevate at least 2 of the brand's faces to a higher level, but I only see Daniel Bryan being a likely option. Ezekiel Jackson will likely be the one to take the IC title from Barrett, Sin Cara needs to improve before being considered, Trent Barreta is basically a jobber (which sucks), Undertaker is a big no for the rest of the year and Yoshi Tatsu is basically under the same banner as Barreta.

In the short term, the brand is covered, but in the long run it looks as if things will get a little repetitive.

 

[Troy]

I liked that tonight they added moves that aren't in their regular moveset. It gave it the big match feel that they were trying to through everything at their opponent, even some new moves, to get that win at the title that went with it. Orton's inverted boston crab was something I have never seen before. I recommend that match to anyone that didn't see OTL, skip the rest of the show just try to see that.

I was hoping that Cody Rhodes would have been featured in a more prominent position on Smackdown after his Mysterio feud. I had hoped he would be right up there with Sheamus and Henry as the top heels because I think that Rhodes could produce some excellent matches with both Orton and Christian. Hopefully by the time their feud ends Rhodes is up the card and gets a shot at one of them.

A feud with Henry or Sheamus would be a step down in match quality for Orton and Christian but they will have to eventually face the music and book it. This feud can last for a long time but eventually they will need to face those two. This does give creative more time to make Sheamus and Henry seem like strong heels again. They have started doing that since they came to Smackdown but there is quite a bit they need to make us forget about their last twelve months on RAW.

 

[Deezy]

Smackdown would definitely need an infusion of marketable faces and heels for the future. It wouldn't really take much to make the IC title mean something, just have a champion defending the damn belt every other week or every PPV and you can build up your mid card until they are ready to jump to the next stage. I don't get why WWE or other companies don't take this approach anymore. It worked great in the old days and would still work today.

The UFC is awesome at making the smaller weight classes mean something, and boxing is being kept alive with a smaller weight class. To think different titles couldn't mean something in pro-wrestling is just ignorant.

 

[Andrew]

You make a great point there comparing to UFC; I could see Bryan being a huge face in the mid-card. Was he face as American Dragon, if so, let him use the gimmick and he could face Cody and many more. It would work and actually use Trent Baretta as something seeing he's a face but a jobber-like one. Same with Yoshi

 

[Troy]

Defending the IC title each week and making it a big part of the show would be a good start in building some future challengers. I expect Barrett to be moved up to the mainevent again by the end of the year but for now they need to make the IC title as important as possible. Barrett vs Orton is something that I can see happening in the future on Smackdown. The IC belt needs to be seen as the number two belt on the show, which it is, but they never treat it that way. The IC champion should be considered a threat to the World Heavyweight champion but unfortunately that isn't the case. Barrett should currently be considered a threat to Orton but the way they book it he isn't a threat at all.