WWE: 10 Contenders For Bill Goldberg At WrestleMania 31

3. Randy Orton

Similar to Batista, Randy Orton has struggled to stay relevant in the wider WWE product following his defeat as WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 30. There was a time when Orton enjoyed highly successful gimmicks such as 'The Legend Killer' and 'The Viper' but presently it would seem that the WWE is at a loss as to how best to promote Orton in the short to long term. While his recent reunion with Evolution has proved to be popular with many fans, it is perhaps reflective of how Orton has fallen from the main event scene, having been quickly replaced by current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Of course there is little doubt that Orton will feature in the main event scene at some point in the future, and is too good a talent to be held back from having a another run as WWE World Heavyweight Champion but the question of his 'gimmick' looks set to remain unanswered. PG restrictions placed on the WWE have done no favours to Orton's 'Viper' gimmick as he has had to rein in any ruthless antics such as punt kicks to his opponents temples and with a roster devoid of legends there is no point in resurrecting his former 'legend killer' gimmick. However against Goldberg, Orton could create a new gimmick for himself. Perhaps he could turn babyface as he did in 2004 and wrestle a heel Goldberg who is intent on beating 'The Best' and that could mean Orton; particularly if he were in possession of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmMhV0GILTY What is self evident is that the WWE Creative Team would have to invest a lot of time and effort into developing the gimmicks of Orton and Goldberg and in addition promote their WrestleMania 31 match as a confrontation to determine 'The Best in the Business.' In any event a Goldberg/Orton match could prove to be an interesting clash of wrestling styles and present the WWE with the ideal opportunity to salvage Randy Orton from his current downward trend into a gimmick-less Randy 'Boreton!'