10 Quick WWE Fixes To Save Randy Orton
RepairKO Outta Nowhere.
How good is Randy Orton?
That's not rhetorical praise; it's a philosophical question many WWE fans struggle with. For a man who has maintained a top level presence in WWE on such a consistent basis, he is arguably the most inconsistent of them all. His 2011 feud with Christian was dynamite in the ring - a superb blend of pacing and psychology. It lives on as the very best work Orton ever did - a counterargument to an ever-raging debate fuelled by memories of drab career rivalries opposite Triple H and John Cena. As if to crystallise the conundrum, his early summer TV matches with Daniel Bryan were blinding in every conceivable department. Their autumn PPV series, meanwhile, was desperately underwhelming.
You can never rule him out - his Night Of Champions 2014 match opposite Chris Jericho was an unexpected minor masterpiece wrestled by two men at a low ebb - but such reactionary, blow-away performances have become increasingly rare in parallel with his constant, almost overbearing presence. The conflated result is one of near-apathy. Is he boring, or is he a logical strategist? Is he underrated, or overrated? If, as countless accounts verify, he is the wrestler's wrestler, why isn't the same sentiment shared by fans?
One thing is certain: his presence in WWE is oversaturated in the extreme. Something needs to be done.
10. Tag Teaming
Orton was last relevant in the winter of last year.
His partnership with Bray Wyatt - before it all went t*ts up in some of the most embarrassing WWE matches this side of cement and swimming pools - was refreshing because it refreshed two staler-than-week-old bread acts in a two birds one stone booking strategy calibrated by a creative team firing on all cylinders.
Just do it again. The Legacy faction was a dud in execution. But Orton mostly tends to play well with others. Plus, it creates scope to literally dilute Orton's tiresome presence on WWE TV while simultaneously avoiding meaningless programmes with the likes of Rusev, which exist only to keep him simmering - which is rather self-defeating, given that the problem with Orton is that he is nothing if not lukewarm.
As for potential candidates...Baron Corbin is Orton's spiritual successor in everything but natural ability - a Rated RKO-esque partnership might provide the comparatively clunky Lone Wolf with valuable on-the-job experience. Kevin Owens has stuttered following his switch to SmackDown. Perhaps teaming with Orton would provide a platform for an experimental babyface turn.