For as much as the WWE's "Apex Predator" is a star because of his in-ring talent, Randy Orton's ability to know his way around a scripted piece of dialogue is likely as (or even more) important than his in-ring adeptness. Since WWE has taken to scripting promos for performers, Orton's oftentimes credited as being one of the best at nailing the words he's given word-for-word and line-for-line. Gone are the days in wrestling when strong promos like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Ric Flair just needed bullet points and a microphone to make a point. As well, The Rock, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Chris Jericho and more learned from that generation. Insofar as the current era of superstars, maybe in lacking the talent around them who could walk out, not miss a bullet point, engage a crowd and deliver excitement all at the same time, it's led WWE to such drastic (and possibly unfortunate) measures.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
