4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (27 March - Results & Review)

3. A Backwards Beginning

Randy Orton
WWE.com

WWE point blank refuse to read the room. They're not interested in doing so, because it reveals the glaring flaw in SmackDown's biggest offering for next month. Namely, Randy Orton isn't clicking as a heel. He's a legacy star with too much earned respect to fly as a mega-bad guy in 2026, and that's just the way it is. Apparently, everyone backstage fancies burying their heads in the sand when it comes to that.

Orton’s opening promo blaming the voices of fans and everyone else “outside my head” for causing him to attack Cody Rhodes, Matt Cardona etc didn’t wash. Then, Cardona marched out and thunked Randy on the head with a mic before…doing absolutely nothing else? Meanwhile, the live crowd chanted for Randy. Yeah, again, this approach isn’t really working.

It isn't working whatsoever.

One gets the impression that Orton could RKO 200 puppies and he'd still hear booming chants from live crowds. So, this week's SmackDown got off on the wrong foot. People don't see Cardona (despite his own staying power in wrestling) as on the same level as someone like Randy, and they're hardly going to cheer the ex-Zack Ryder over one of WWE's biggest stars for over 20 years.

Here's the biggest issue: WWE's core fanbase wants to see Orton win a World Title again. They'd welcome it. Plus, there's been a clear shift away from blindly cheering Cody no matter what he does or who he's against. The people have spoken, but Triple H is ignoring that because it's too late to pivot the story.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.