The Randy Orton 2004 World Title Run: Doomed from the start?

[The Rick Jericho]

It last one month.

But looking back at this now over 20 years ago, especially what Orton has become.

Should the man have held the title at least until Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble to really test him out to see if ratings would increase?

Did WWE simply panic too soon and got the title back to Triple H immediately at the next PPV.

Or was it the right decision? Randy was way over his head as a world champion so it was simply a transition reign from Benoit to Orton to Triple H just so we could get as far removed from the Benoit run and loss at Mania XX for HHH as possible?

Even Jinder got a longer reign to test him out, so this one really stands out as such a sudden win then title loss.

[David-Arquette was in WCW 2000]

I t was too soon to give him the belt, and it showed. I was happy they took the belt off Benoit, because his run was boring as f***, but Orton's was pointless.

[Feyrhausen]

Mar 24, 2024 15:38:44 GMT -5 David-Arquette was in WCW 2000 said:

I t was too soon to give him the belt, and it showed. I was happy they took the belt off Benoit, because his run was boring as f***, but Orton's was pointless.

I believe the only point to it was to erase Brock Lesnar from the history books as youngest world champion in WWE.

[Magnus the Magnificent]

Mar 24, 2024 15:46:26 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Mar 24, 2024 15:38:44 GMT -5 David-Arquette was in WCW 2000 said:

I t was too soon to give him the belt, and it showed. I was happy they took the belt off Benoit, because his run was boring as f***, but Orton's was pointless.

I believe the only point to it was to erase Brock Lesnar from the history books as youngest world champion in WWE.

And to my dying day I'll say they had Orton win the wrong title.
Lesnar is still the youngest WWE champion, while Orton is the youngest World Heavyweight Champion.

[Mozenrath]

Mar 24, 2024 16:48:27 GMT -5 Magnus the Magnificent said:

Mar 24, 2024 15:46:26 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

I believe the only point to it was to erase Brock Lesnar from the history books as youngest world champion in WWE.

And to my dying day I'll say they had Orton win the wrong title.
Lesnar is still the youngest WWE champion, while Orton is the youngest World Heavyweight Champion.

Honestly, I think WWE wanted to spite Brock, but also wanted to not fully torpedo that relationship, and intentionally went for the title Brock hadn't had, plus just that it'd have been a hassle to move Orton to the other brand first.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

It should have been Orton remaining a heel and having Triple H kicked to the curb. The problem was that the fans had no reason to cheer for Randy other than "he isn't Triple H". He also didn't seem equipped at the time to translate the stuff that made him a great heel into being a face. Whole thing was doomed the minute Evolution turned against him.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Mar 25, 2024 6:30:09 GMT -5 EvenBaldobombHasAJob said:

It should have been Orton remaining a heel and having Triple H kicked to the curb. The problem was that the fans had no reason to cheer for Randy other than "he isn't Triple H". He also didn't seem equipped at the time to translate the stuff that made him a great heel into being a face. Whole thing was doomed the minute Evolution turned against him.

Yeah, Orton had spent a year avoiding his comeuppance. He'd been the rich cocky arrogant asshole who was bailed out by his buddies, constantly. He won the feud with Orton, and while Edge took the IC title from him he never got what he deserved. He never got the complete and total ass kicking that his character deserved, until Evolution gave it to him. And they had been the ones bailing him out for a year. Why boo Evolution for giving Orton what he had coming?

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

As a face? Yes.

[Ultimo Gallos]

I was still watching Raw each week and the big 4 ppvs and do not remember him having the belt back then.

So much of WWE post 2001 just didn't stick in my memory.

[Hulkshi Tanahashi]

Mar 24, 2024 16:48:27 GMT -5 Magnus the Magnificent said:

Mar 24, 2024 15:46:26 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

I believe the only point to it was to erase Brock Lesnar from the history books as youngest world champion in WWE.

And to my dying day I'll say they had Orton win the wrong title.
Lesnar is still the youngest WWE champion, while Orton is the youngest World Heavyweight Champion.

Yeah! Lesnar still holds the record on a technicality. Did no one notice? Or did they just not care?

[Starshine]

Part of the problem was he was presented as a heel going into the match, won that match as if he were a babyface, including getting the kudos from the prior champ, then the next time we see him, he's calling the fans losers, then at the end of that same night he's put in a sympathetic light after being betrayed by his own group.

There's too much tonal whiplash right off the starting block to feel much of anything.

[Doo Doo is Worse Than WCW 2000]

I stopped watching regularly until 2011 after HHH beat him.

[Gerard Gerard]

It also slightly defied belief that the guy that just took out Cactus in a hardcore brawl would then lost his WHC to a single chairshot/finisher combo. Granted, it's like problem #12 with an overall disaster, but still, do it right if you're gonna take the belt off the guy.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

Mar 25, 2024 18:17:40 GMT -5 Starshine said:

Part of the problem was he was presented as a heel going into the match, won that match as if he were a babyface, including getting the kudos from the prior champ, then the next time we see him, he's calling the fans losers, then at the end of that same night he's put in a sympathetic light after being betrayed by his own group.

There's too much tonal whiplash right off the starting block to feel much of anything.

All of this. He was quite possibly the least sympathetic face in WWE history. Why am I supposed to cheer for a douchebag frat boy who gets kicked out of his group?