10 Wrestlers Who Gambled On A New Character

2. Randy Orton: Stoner's Pal

Randy Orton Riddle RK-Bro
WWE.com

For years - two decades in fact - Randy Orton played the same character.

Whether heel or face, this man was cold, ruthless, humourless. At best, his character development was limited to "sullen methodical man is now prone to fits of anger". A calculated man with hints of sadism folded into his presentation, he played various degrees of serious. This reached a nadir in his programme with Edge, which was unremittingly bleak work and storytelling set against the most bleak backdrop ever. The Last Man Standing match was less a WrestleMania attraction and more of an experimental noise record, provided you closed your eyes. This was actually rather easy, since it went five hours.

Since then, Randy Orton has added actual warmth to his babyface character, and had actual fun, alongside Riddle. It really is a tremendous bit. Daft WWE fun, yes, but the chemistry is winning, Orton will dress up to get the silliness over, and while it was great when he deadpanned Riddle's idiocy, it was striking and stirring to hear the man say "Riddle is my friend" on RAW not too long ago.

Laidback Orton has long been a joy on the interview circuit. He's now making WWE feel like a place that has actual joy in it.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!