As far as co-opting some classically over-the-top Attitude Era hysteria, the spirit was there, but the balance was extremely weak. In relation to the previous entry, Orton was the freshest performer in the main event scene, due to the uptick in his easily-triggered violent tendencies. Unrepentant assaults on members of the McMahon family positioned Orton as a highly-compelling villain. That is, until Triple H chased him around the backstage area of Raw with a sledgehammer, and Orton ran for his life for what felt like thirty minutes. Then Helmsley attacked Orton at his house during an overly-long beating that also made Orton look pathetic. Not only was Orton marginalised by the repeated beatings, but it was also hard to buy Triple H as Liam Neeson from Taken, the blue-collar warrior that defends his family. Everyone knows he's a millionaire that pulls creative strings, which makes his authoritarian role today at least believable.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
