10 WWE Wrestlers Who Get Way Too Much Criticism
6. Randy Orton
“If you build a sports entertainer from the group up, it looks like this man," is one of JBL's favourite quips, and a perfect description of Randy Orton.
Orton is the archetypal “WWE guy.” Solid but unspectacular in the ring, very safe, and charismatic but not particular interesting, he is everything that the company has come to represent. His third-generation status and great look have undoubtedly bought favour with Vince McMahon over the years, and when Orton’s not motivated, his performances are bland, uninteresting, and a chore to endure.
His backstage reputation doesn’t exactly help matters either. Rumours of him getting his peers fired (Mr. Kennedy) and, ahem, answering a call of nature in co-worker's bags make Orton seem like detestable juvenile, even though he seems to have grown out of it.
People take Randy Orton for granted. He’s been a WWE staple for so long that his presence is a given, and very little is expected of him. When he does something good, it largely flies under the radar, and when he’s inserted into a high level program, he’s usually met by indifference.
That’s a shame, because when he’s motivated, Orton is one of the best in the business. His “Legend Killer” run was fantastic, as was his time spent feuding with the McMahons in 2009, and he’s always been a solid hand for the company. Orton’s also a better worker than most give him credit for, as evidenced by matches with the likes of Edge, Christian, and and Triple H. He has, at times, been the glue holding WWE's main event scene together, and for that he deserves credit.