He isn’t going to be the best there is, the best there was, or the best there ever will be. He certainly is not going to be the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment. We all know that he’s like to brag, but really, he’s not that damn good, nor is he the toughest son of a bitch there is. Nor is he the heart-breaking icon, the legend, the show stopper. While styling and profiling is one of his good attributes, that’s not his path either. Nor is he the next big thing, although he’s quite young. He is not one to tell his opponents to rest in peace, and there is no fire that still burns, for this sucka. He doesn’t have a love for dudes, and believe me, he’s no jack stuck in the cactus land of all mankind. A lot of things have been written about who he is. A few have mentioned who he isn’t, but in my opinion none of them got to the bottom of it. I guess it’s my turn to tell you that the man who will probably become the next World Heavyweight Champion this Sunday at SummerSlam is a nobody. And that’s his best attribute ever.
Randy Keith Orton was born on April 1, 1980, in St. Louis, MO. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler, as the sport seems to be generic in this family. His grandfather, Bob Orton, Sr., is considered a leged in the sport of professional wrestling. So is his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Jr. And Bob Orton, Jr., is where our journey begins…
“Cowboy” Bob Orton, said to be a great technical wrestler by some, often times doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his in-ring skills. He had left an impression as a technician in the beginning of his career, but he was always in the shadow of a more important wrestler, such as Roddy Piper, during their feud in the 1980s. Orton might be thought of as what Chris Jericho represented in 2000, a strong midcard wrestler who once in a while had the opportunity to go at it with the bigger names, such as Piper. Orton managed to change his persona on more than one occassion following his start. He continued messing with Piper, as “Ace.” He was tag team parters with Don Muraco, which was preceded by an allegiance to “Adorable” Adrian Adonis. Then, there was the arm cast. I could go on with “Cowboy” Bob Orton’s career, but this column isn’t about him. The important thing to note, is that throughout most of his career, Orton Jr. managed to “recreate” his persona and continue to stay in the mix. With, or without his last name mentioned, he could have still made it.
WWE had big plans for Randy Orton. They wanted to accomplish the same success with him as they have accomplished with The Rock, seeing as both guys have a similar background in the fact they are both third-generation superstars. They tried shoving Orton down our throats as a silly babyface who tried working off of his last name, just like Rock had done for his debut. It didn’t work, and the fans booed it, just like they booed The Rock. The only difference was that nobody really cared about Randy as much as they cared about The Rock, once Randy returned from an injury that had sidelined him. Although the company was behind him, he was thought of as a young goof, and the fans saw no interest in him. That was the first sign WWE was sent, that you can’t repeat history.
The WWE formula followed Orton to RAW, as he left SmackDown. He was now given a slightly different gimmick, in which you can see traits of previous greats. He had the attitude and mindset of a Steve Austin at times, and he was still trying to look like The Rock. To this day, he still does the facial expression Rock is remembered with, when on the top rope, before a match. He was built just like Brock Lesnar, as he’s literally the next big thing coming to wrestling, but he was pushed nowhere near the same level as Brock.
Whether Orton fell through the cracks, or WWE decided to fully go behind Brock is something that needs not be discussed here. The result of what had happened was an abandoned push with a poor storyline and gimmick behind it that nobody seemed to care about. You can’t tell someone that they’re the “next Rock” and expect it to happen. When that “crack” or “depush” happened, Orton managed to get a TV match here and there, and the more he grew on fans, the more he solidified himself as Randy Orton. The “third-generation sueprstar” gimmick was quickly forgotten. The silly jobber tights, with the goofy haircut had become a thing of the past. Randy Orton was now given the opportunity of his life, and it came in the form of a sixteen-time World Champion, and the most popular wrestler in his brand at the time.
Even though the gimmick required his chracter to have “a bit of Ric Flair,” and “a bit of Triple H,” he didn’t. He managed to take something from them and apply it to his in-ring work, but Orton continued to grow on his own as a character. While WWE was so busy trying to make Orton a somebody, and using the “WWE formula” (which is let’s see what trait of a past superstar we can use to make this one, or what could we do to get people to be reminded of a former star when they see this guy?) they failed to realize that the best thing going for Randy Orton… was nothing. It was being himself. It was being a totally new face, with a totally new attitude, and gimmick. Orton was given a win against Shawn Michaels on PPV in 2003, which didn’t mean much. Not surprising, having in mind who’s involved. However, while WWE was busy with Triple H and his opponents, Orton quietly played second fiddle to The Game, and made a name for himself. He was given the IC Championship, and he milked his reign for all it’s worth.
A program with Mick Foley followed. Perhaps what is the only thing that this young man has in common with all those great former champions is here — he was put over by Foley himself. Triple H, The Rock, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker all cemented their position within the company as the “main heros” thanks to the same man. It was their wins over that man that are left in our minds. Because your remember the Hell In A Cell bump against ‘Taker, and all the brutality from the feud with Triple H, or the ten-or-so chair shots in the match with The Rock. The Mankind/Austin program, and the Michaels interaction hasn’t been on a lower level, either. The way Orton was put over, by getting a win at both WrestleMania and Backlash, was something. Those were the events that cemented the arrival of someone new.
Randy Orton is the only superstar that WWE has produced in the past three or four years. It’s nothing but the truth. Brock Lesnar comes to mind, I’m sure. You couldn’t be more wrong. From Day 1, he was pushed as a mosnter, and from Day 1, he was dead as a character. He wasn’t given any depth, nor was he able to talk. He simply wasn’t the total package that a superstar needs to be considered “made.” Orton, thanks to the WWE screw-ups, has not only been defined in depth, but he’s been given the proper time to build up a character, a persona — something new, and fresh.
No, the Legend Killer has nothing to do with The Rock, although he is a third generation superstar, and is quite electrifying. Randy Orton has nothing to do with Bret Hart, although he will tell you any time you ask him, that he is without a doubt the best there is, or ever will be. The former IC Champion has nothing to do with Shawn Michaels, although he has proven over the past few months on RAW that he can go in the ring for a twenty, or thirty minute match and bring more intensity and emotion into a match than most, just like the Showstopper used to do when he was a young up-and-comer. The man whose IC Championship reign was the longest one in years has absolutely nothing to do with The Undertaker, although if you ask him, he’s set to go on for a decade of his own. The only member of the Orton family that was born on April Fools, has absolutely nothing to do with Mankind, or Steve Austin, although he’s proven he’s no fool by “ending their career” in his own words.
I think a very few people out there realize, that this Sunday at SummerSlam we might get a World Heavyweight Champion that has absolutely nothing to do with anyone, but himself. It’s always been about who he is, and what he is about. Randy Orton is simply nobody you’d know, he’s a nobody, and that’s his best feature. It’s my humble opinion, that it’s about time a nobody became the World Champion.
Thanks for reading.
