Explain This To Me...Orton

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Nov 4, 2008 0:50:25 GMT -5 @kitsunestar said:

Nov 4, 2008 0:04:55 GMT -5 @awataurne said:

wait wait whoa whoa whoa hold on just one minute there tough guy!

so... you want a wrestler whose gonna kiss the feet of his fans...

yeah... that'll get over.

fans love seeing a badass. seeing a guy suck up to them lowers their appeal. thats pretty much like when Austin came out and said the greatest wwe superstar was the fans.

I'm actually sick of badasses. I like weirdos better.

Sizo Izorton vizersus Kizarny izat Sizurvivor Sizeries, thizen?

[Hanz Moleman]

I actually think Orton is one of the best in WWE. I think he cuts pretty damn good promos despite the monotone voice, but isn't that his character? I think he is great to watch in the ring despite the use of the headlock of doom. When I was growing up I worshiped Austin and his tweener like persona, so maybe Ive just found that in Orton.

I thought the punt to the head of Dibiase last night meant he was gonna get a face turn which would lead to a Rhodes/Manu team. Or he could have learned a lesson and become Orton's protege.

I like to let myself just be a mark when I can, you know?

[Arthur Digby Stamp]

Orton's easily my favorite guy in the company. Everything the guy does, he does with purpose. His facial expressions are spot on, and he doesn't waste any motion in the ring. Plus, the guy sells tremendously, without being cartoony about it.

[Tea & Crumpets]

Nov 3, 2008 23:53:11 GMT -5 Bravo Echo November said:

Personally, the only thing I find interesting about Orton at all is his entrance music.

This. Hate to say it, but this. Orton bores me so much.

[Pagan Warrior]

You seriously ask why his character isn't over? Okay... let's take a look at some past stars:

Stone Cold Steve Austin:
Violent, loudmouth, paranoid, never backed down from anyone, doesn't give a damn about the fans.
The Rock:
Young, good-looking, athletic, third generation superstar, cocky beyond belief.

And what do you get if you combine these attributes?

Thread over.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

I'd rather see Orton feud with Manu/DiBiase/Rhodes than team up. Truth be told they should be made to team up at Survivor Series only for Orton to turn on them or something like it

[Jake, The Jake, Jake]

Why did the Rock get cheered as a heel? Why did Angle get cheered as a heel? It's just how tweener characters work.

[ChitownKnight]

Orton is becoming really awsome as of late, even begenning to become my favorite wrestler next to cena

[The Doctor]

He is cool. He has an intangibly and effortlessly cool demanour, he is possibly the coolest man in the WWE since The Rock. That always helps!

[spacepope316]

I always thought that Orton came across as slightly dim. He's nowhere near the level of Jericho or Edge when it comes to being a heel.

I think having Orton be the leader of the Second Gen stable is a good idea but bring in Adamle as their manager.

[Threadkiller [Classic]]

The funny thing is, eleven years ago at this exact time of year, this exact same thing happened to Steve Austin. He was injured, but they kept him on TV until he could wrestle (which happened to be at Survivor Series). He came out and ranted and didn't give a damn what fans thought or what anyone else thought, face or heel. He would also screw with everyone's program so that there was an unhealthy multitude of people who all wanted Austin's head (NOD, Heart Foundation, etc.). Moreover, in between giving stunners to faces and heels alike, he'd spend time jarring with authority figures Sgt. Slaughter and (loosely at the time) Vince McMahon.

Fast forward to Orton, who is injured but kept on TV until he's cleared to wrestle again (at Survivor Series, although Adamle pre-empted that this week). He also has an unhealthy multitude of people pissed off at him, or at the very least people with whom he shares an antagonistic relationship (Priceless, Batista, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, every face on Raw). He also interacts antagonistically with authority figures (General Manager Mike Adamle & Shane and Stephanie).

Now, while Orton isn't necessarily the man to be RKOing people and then escaping through the crowd, I think he's been cheered because, for the first time in his career, he's being presented in a manner that commands respect. He finally appears to be the "big deal" WWE has made him out to be all these years. I honestly think his interaction with Priceless has something to do with his overness, as they want to impress him and keep trying to gain his approval. The presentation of Orton as an experienced veteran deserving of respect goes a long way, in my book. What goes even farther is the fact that he rejects them, engendering the belief in fans' eyes that Orton is simply better than them. They should just keep things going in this manner. If they do, I could easily see Orton becoming the favorite to win the Royal Rumble and challenge for the world title (perhaps against Jericho, with Orton being touted as the man who could finally save us from Jericho's tyrannical reign? You could even build in the ironic twist that Jericho initially returned from his two-year hiatus to save us from Orton's tyrannical reign!). The storyline benefits from the fact that Orton the character essentially writes himself, since his personality has been built over the years so that we know how he'll react to certain situations and that creates intrigue in seeing how he'll interact with others and situations of conflict. I haven't been as intrigued by a character in ages as I am with Orton, and I hope they don't do anything boneheaded or expected, like having him suddenly join up with Priceless just for the sake of a swerve (or simply because they help him win a world title or something, since the story is that Priceless aren't at Orton's level yet and so helping him win does nothing to advance them, although it would be typically heel for Orton to suddenly start liking them once it starts benefiting him. Do I make any sense?). Either way, I'm really interested to see where this goes.

Oh, and before I close, has anyone seen any of the RAWs on 24/7 with Austin that I mentioned earlier? I saw an episode about a month back where Vince McMahon is interviewing IC champion Owen Hart about his coming match with Steve Austin at Survivor Series, and a riot squad is surrounding the ring in anticipation of Austin. Eventually, one of the guards sneaks into the ring, and it's revealed to be Austin, who gives Owen the stunner. He bolts out of the ring and heads through the crowd, but when security tries to follow Austin the fans hold them back[/i] so Austin can escape. Can you imagine fans reacting like that to someone today? That's because Stone Cold was fresh, new, and a character people genuinely cared about. Obviously, the actual Stone Cold character probably wouldn't work if reimplemented since it isn't new anymore. However. I hope I'm not being so bold as to say that I think Orton's tweener could be the kind of character to this generation that Austin's was to the Attitude era.

[spacepope316]

Steve Austin however seems to be quite a charismatic and funny guy in real life. The segment from Raw Homecoming where he is asking Linda McMahon for a kiss etc is something that shows this.

Also on Stone Cold's dvd set there is a thing where he is doing commentary about Terry Funk and the guy is hilarious. Randy just isnt that witty or charismatic.

[Loki]

About the recent RAW events, I think most of the cheers are due to the fact Team Priceless are "more heel" than Orton.

Or at least the crowd cared less about DiBiase and Rhodes and Manu than about Orton. Also because the interference "killed" a good match, so the crowd didn't like that, and neither did Randy [in kayfabe].

More in general, Orton is one of those guys who can be (moderately) good as long as he's paired with/against Superstars who can make him shine, either as the heel, or as the "vaguely cool" tweener.

Fooled by the occasional good reaction, WWE will then think he's one of the Next Big Things, and will push him "by himself". With the results we all remember...

Orton, with his bored/dazed/sleepy face, and with his droning voice, can't be the Leading Man. A good Sidekick, sure.