8 Ups & 1 Down From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 17)

2. THIS Randy Orton

At his worst, Randy Orton is among WWE's most tedious performers. His resthold-centric style is safe, neat, and tidy, but sleep-inducing when he isn't working with an edge. Yes, he has the most explosive finisher in the company, and he carries himself like a star, but he rarely exerts when presented as a milquetoast babyface.

This made it hard to get too excited when his music hit at Extreme Rules, but his beatdown of Jeff Hardy alleviated those worries. He followed it up by going one step further last night, appearing after his new rival's match with Shinsuke Nakamura, beating him down, and brutally yanking at the gaping hole where his ear plug used to be.

It was fantastic. Randy came off much like the McMahon-punting psychopath of 2009, which, Triple H loss aside, might be when he was at his most compelling. Ruthless, savage, and cold-blooded, he pulled off a pitch-perfect beatdown of the former United States Champion, suggesting that this latest run may not be marred by the mediocrity of his last few.

Figners crossed this continues, and we get this Randy Orton on a weekly basis.