10 Wrestlers Who BADLY Need A New WWE Superstar Shake-Up

9. Randy Orton

Randy Orton Finn Balor Raw SmackDown
WWE.com

Randy Orton has been tremendous since his rebirth as a sociopathic upper-midcard heel, but he's fast running out of things to do in his increasingly sparse SmackDown appearances.

The Jeff Hardy feud yielded a gloriously gory Hell In A Cell bout, and 'The Viper' always comes off as SD's most demented personality, whether he's stretching Hardy's earlobes or snapping Tye Dillinger's figures. He's an awesome evil gatekeeper, but here's the thing: so is Samoa Joe, and he's there almost every week.

Their personalities differ, but WWE don't need Orton and Joe on the same brand. They effectively play the same role. Yes, Orton is afforded a greater deal of protection than the former NXT Champion, but this role's primary function should be to put rising babyfaces over on their way to the top, and with his searing promo work, Joe recovers lost heat like no one else in the business. Thus, it's time to rehome Randy.

Brock Lesnar aside, Raw isn't exactly bursting with top-level heels at the moment. Let Orton work his deranged shtick against a fresh cast of upper-mid/main event babyfaces and the goodwill recovered throughout 2018 will keep on rolling.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.