10 WWE Champions You Didn't Care To Hate
4. Randy Orton
It might sound somewhat contradictory for a guy that has been at the top of the business since his early 20s, but Randy Orton is something of a late bloomer. Championships and big-time feuds came easy for Orton in his youth but it is only in the last few years of his career that The Viper has truly met the lofty praise heaped on him. Veteran Orton is a modern great, a compelling character who consistently has good matches and brings a certain gravitas to everything he does.
Younger Orton was, well, boredom personified. His matches were plodding affairs that had all the spark of a wet teabag, and his character wasn't exactly the most thrilling either. Sure, some of the latter could be put down to a cerebral approach that was supposed to single Orton out as a cold-blooded killer, but the young man's lack of innate charisma meant it made for less than thrilling TV.
Of course, Orton was hardly helped by being chained to John Cena at a time when Big Match John was going through his own teething problems (more on them shortly). It meant that the top titles in WWE were frequently being fought over by two guys that fans had lost real interest in.
Ironically, Orton vs. Cena in 2022 would probably be quite well-received. In 2008? Consider that channel changed.