As a heel, it took a bit of time for crowds to warm to young Orton, but he'd gradually win them over with great matches against Mick Foley, Edge, and Shelton Benjamin in the spring/summer of 2004. His portrayal of an egotistical prick, the privileged high school jock that turned good girls bad, became well-refined over time. Orton was in his element as the bad boy, and fans soon began to dig the act. In August 2004, not only did Orton topple Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight title, but he solidified his face turn a week later by spitting in Triple H's face. Everything was being rushed way too quickly, and Orton's edge soon eradicated. That was apparent when he jumped out of a cake to attack Triple H like Generic Babyface #7285. Orton was booed out of the building at the 2005 Royal Rumble during his supposed grudge match with Trips, and he'd turn back heel about a month later. Orton would show that he adept at playing babyface later in his career, but his mannerisms and the booking of his character didn't help him at all in 2004.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
