4 Ups & 3 Downs Of Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton At WWE SummerSlam 2016
Will one of 2016's biggest matches live up to the hype?
It’s official: Brock Lesnar will face Randy Orton at SummerSlam.
WWE announced on Monday Night Raw that Brock’s SummerSlam opponent would be revealed on this week’s SmackDown. Orton’s name had been speculated all week, and it was finally confirmed after last night’s Canadian SmackDown broadcast.
It’ll mark Lesnar’s first WWE match since his lopsided WrestleMania 32 victory over Dean Ambrose, while Orton hasn’t been seen on WWE television since last October. Forced to sit-out the last 10 months after suffering a particularly nasty dislocated shoulder, The viper will soon report to WWE’s Performance Center for a medical examination and the official “all clear.”
It’s been a long, gruelling recovery for Orton, but he couldn’t have asked for a bigger match on his return. Lesnar retains a near-mythical presence in WWE: his limited schedule means that his scarce appearances feel all the more special, and he wrestles so infrequently that every match feels important by default.
Still, the match isn’t without its concerns. Much of this depends on the outcome of Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt this Saturday night. SummerSlam takes place just over a month-and-a-half away on August 21st, but if Lesnar takes a lot of damage to his heavy-handed opponent there’s every chance he won’t even make it to the PPV.
Here are 4 ups and 3 downs ofBrock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton at WWE SummerSlam...
7. Down: Orton's Injury History
First, the downs.
Orton’s injury record is the first thing that springs to mind. The guy’s just spent the best part of a year sidelined with a severe shoulder injury (a shoulder that was surgically rebuilt in 2004, no less) and has a long-standing history of neck problems. Is throwing him straight back in with the Beast Incarnate really such a great idea?
That’s not to say Brock isn’t a safe wrestler, but given Lesnar’s fondness for German Suplexes (a move that puts great impact on the victim’s head, neck, and shoulder areas), fans are right to be concerned about Orton’s health going into this one.
Nobody knows better than the medical experts themselves, of course. It’s best to trust their judgement, and WWE wouldn’t book this match if they didn’t think Orton was ready, but it’s hard not to be worried here.