10 Monster Pushes That WWE Totally Wasted
6. Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been pushed pretty much from the moment he arrived in WWE.
From his spell in Evolution to Rated RKO, his various World Title runs, and the current Wyatt Family storyline, Orton has been a consistent headliner for the best part of a decade. He’s a reliable company man who WWE will always call upon to fill big spots, and as long as he’s physically able, there’ll always be a place for Orton in the main event scene.
WWE haven’t always maximised Orton’s pushes, however. They squandered the opportunity to make him a huge, era-defining heel in 2009 specifically, and his feud with the McMahon family should have made him one of the most reviled villains in wrestling history.
Orton went full-on psychopath that January. It started when he punted Mr. McMahon in the head, and continued when he won the Royal Rumble by eliminating Triple H last. Shane eventually received the same treatment as his father, and when Orton dropped Stephanie with an RKO, Triple H finally stood-up for the family.
Orton challenged Triple H for the title at WrestleMania XXV, and his victory should have been a no-brainer. He’d never been hotter in WWE, and if WWE were booking by crowd reactions, he’d have gone over Triple H. The bookers had other plans, however: Triple H retained the belt, destroying Orton’s threat in the process, and bringing the psychotic streak to a premature end.