10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2005

Meanwhile, Orlando Jordan had a wee bit more about him than Heidenreich. A wee bit.

Someone in the office must've agreed, because they booked Orlando to beat John Cena and become United States Champ on the 3 March SmackDown. He'd successfully defend the belt against Heidenreich (not a candidate for one of WWE's greatest matches ever, let's be honest) at Judgment Day and Chris Benoit at the Great American Bash. Then, something changed, and it was clear to see when reliving SmackDown in 2005.

Between the Bash and SummerSlam, WWE's opinion on OJ shifted. Benoit battered him in a mere 25 seconds at the latter pay-per-view, and that was that. He even left a cushy position in JBL's Cabinet (which was effectively a main event stable from minute one) behind to strike out on his own. That solo trip didn't end in fist-pumping delight for Orlando.

He went nowhere fast before being released in 2006.

There were a few periods throughout '05 when SmackDown’s midcard often didn’t have a lot going on, so it’s puzzling that WWE soured on Jordan so suddenly. He was rough around the edges and sorely needed some personality, sure, but he was way better than the likes of Jon Heidenreich and deserved a little more time in the oven to develop.

Maybe instincts behind the curtain were spot on. Maybe McMahon and his team figured that Orlando would never develop the charisma necessary to proceed beyond US Title level, and so they decided to cut their losses. Still, his drop off was severe.