10 Ways WWE SmackDown Has Declined In 2017
2. Randy Orton's Blandness
A 13-time World Champion and surefire Hall Of Famer, Randy Orton is one of the most decorated superstars of all-time. His career has been lined with gold from the day he became the youngest ever WWE Champion, and this will likely continue until his retirement.
This isn’t a problem in itself, as Orton has had plenty of strong runs on top. Unfortunately, the vast majority of his best spells came while he was working as a heel. Playing the villain makes the most of Orton's sly, cunning personality, and while Randy isn’t the worst babyface in the world, he’s too cold, emotionless, and unlikeable to get behind as a genuine hero, and is therefore unsuited to playing a brand’s top "good guy".
SmackDown has been built around Orton for much of 2017, and his blandness has shone through. The boring character could be forgiven if he was having knock-down matches, but he isn’t, and the two recent Wyatt bouts will likely finish among the year’s worst. Unfortunately, Orton’s current malaise trickles down throughout the rest of the card, and it’s hard to see things improving until his direction is adjusted.