14 Ups & 14 Downs For WWE In 2018

By Michael Hamflett /

10. Randy Orton

WWE

'The Viper' has always been better as a heel, but this current version is fast becoming the best work of his entire career.

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As it turns out, somebody that appears to be a bit of a sleaze has quite a deft touch when asked to portray a sleaze. The sheer satisfaction the 'Apex Predator' exudes when engaging in some hideous act or another on a blue brand babyface is infectious, more so than the the "10" chant he robbed from Tye Dillinger when he attacked his fingers.

That's been the inherent beauty of Orton's awfulness. He rammed a screwdriver through Jeff Hardy's ear as if to sadistically punish him for getting a piercing big enough in the first place. He bullied a tech staffer into replaying clips of his attacks just because he could.

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This, brilliantly, is the Randy Orton people believe is real, and the one they've been waiting years to love to hate.