8 Bad In-Ring Habits That Randy Orton Needs To Change

4. He's A Light Bumper

Despite being a main eventer for a decade, Randy Orton isn't that old. He's only 35, and he's (hopefully) got a long time to go before he has to really start protecting himself in the ring. Problem is, Orton seems to already be doing that. It's not that he's necessarily bad at selling strikes, or moves when they're applied to him, but sometimes wrestlers are required to throw themselves around a bit to sell the violence being inflicted on them. Sometimes wrestlers need to slam themselves to the mat after a hard strike, or hurl themselves over the top rope and crash their heads into announce tables. That stuff? That's not Randy's forte. Hey, finely tuned self-preservation instincts are to be commended in a outdoors survival expert, but in between the ropes, they're a bit tricky. Randy Orton often takes light bumps, without that necessary snap, whether it's landing softly on his back when falling from a strike, landing on his legs first when being thrown to the outside then hitting the floor, or protecting himself too much with his hands when being thrown into posts and tables. This is not without reason, however. It's partly because Orton has trouble with his shoulders, having missed time on three different occasions during his career for shoulder injuries. He even once dislocated his shoulder performing his signature Viper pound-the-mat taunt. Perhaps he's at the stage where he's treating his shoulders like glass, but there's a fine line between protecting yourself and underselling offence by too wide a margin.