10 Reasons Why Nobody Has Missed Randy Orton

4. He's No Star-Maker

Randy Orton
WWE.com

Orton, you'd hope, isn't scheduled for a run at the World Heavyweight title any time soon. His last reign was tarnished not merely by fan indifference, but fan hostility. In his feud with Daniel Bryan, the real heat was directed towards Triple H. Orton was effectively his proxy in both the storyline and reality.

It would make sense to transition him into the star-maker role currently occupied by Chris Jericho. Like Jericho, however, his talents in this area are debatable. It's not that he's unprofessional enough to sandbag his opponents, or that he doesn't possess the reputation to cause a shock simply by losing, but his previous form is slightly worrying in this regard.

While his match with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 was very good indeed, capped by one of the greatest and most memorable finishes in recent memory, the Steel Cage sequel at Extreme Rules was equally forgettable - and that's with the added novelty of a stipulation which, despite a recent downturn in fortunes, is still capable of excitement.

Rollin's Steel Cage match with Cena at the Live From Madison Square Garden Network Special was a blinder. Rollins was no better or worse off afterwards. It was as if Orton just wasn't motivated.

This variance wasn't a one-off...

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!