Tim's Take 09.02.08: The Return of A Legend...Killer

Posted by Tim Livingston on 09.02.2008

Exit John Cena. Enter Randy Orton. Even exchange.

RAW has become the best wrestling show on television because of many things. Now, there has been an addition of one of its biggest players in the last couple of years, so when you take a look at the landscape for what is to come, could RAW actually become better than it has been?

At one point, RAW had been swimming in what basically amounted to a pool of its own vomit. There was a dead point where the only thing it had going was the aftermath of the best storyline in the business, when Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair decided to stop all this dancing around the subject and get down to whooping each other's old, decrepit asses. From there, Michaels became the center of attention when it turned into an extension that involved Batista. From there, a lot of things happened, including the draft that turned the company upside down and left the brand without a champion. From there, it was as if something clicked on.

All of a sudden, CM Punk won the title in his cashing in of the Money in the Bank shot. The influx of young talent turned RAW upside down, and bringing Batista over to where Shawn Michaels was seemed like it was only logical to continue their feud a bit, but then some other things happened. You had the influx of talent from the younger guns. While the turn of Cody Rhodes wasn't exactly the most enthralling turn, you still had the establishment of a young guard: Punk on top, Rhodes and Ted DiBiase as tag champs with Cryme Tyme and guys like Kofi Kingston and Santino Marella going ga ga over the Intercontinental Title. On top of that, you had a good base of talent with John Cena, Batista, Michaels and that Chris Jericho guy. From there, RAW has flourished. Even with John Cena getting injured and being out for three months, RAW is still going strong.

Re-enter Randy Orton.

Orton becomes the immediate top heel, and that's WITH Chris Jericho having his best run ever. From what RAW tells us, he's going to be involved in the World Title picture from the get go, and that provides a great match-up because of the dynamics he has with Punk: Both are resourceful and both don't back down from anyone. Also, including him in the mix with the tag team champions gives them the second generation stable that had been talked about for a while, almost like a distaff Evolution. Even when his program with Punk is over, you have a whole number of programs that can go on. If Michaels survives Jericho, Orton could try and finish him off to push the Legend Killer angle. You have his automatic feud with Batista, something that could headline WrestleMania XXV, and of course, you have the feud with John Cena that was amazing when it was happening, ended too soon and still allows both of them to pick up where they left off.

Orton is someone who is just so hateable. I remember hearing someone talk about Tully Blanchard, who was this smarmy heel and one of the biggest cheats ever. For me, there are few heels better than Tully Blanchard, but Orton is right there, as well. He talked about how it's basically an extension of his true personality, where many fans have seen him act pretty snotty towards them, but for someone of Orton's stature right now, I'd have him be as snotty as possible. Make the kids hate him. Make them go home and tell their parents how much he's a bad person. They do the same with John Cena, extolling his virtues, but you need someone that carries that aura with him. Randy Orton does that.

John Cena might be out for 3 months, but Orton's return is more than enough filler until he returns. While he's not a draw like Cena is, people still like to see his ass get kicked. THAT is how you become a top heel in the business. Someone like Edge finally got his comeuppance after months and months of talk, even if he was able to back it up somewhat. Santino Marella is never taken seriously, is the butt of every joke, but is a great heel because he knows how to mess with people's heads and rile them up. Jericho is so confident in his abilities that he basically tells the fans exactly what he's going to do, and then goes out and does it.

But Orton is someone who's just dripping with evil, and he talks in a way that makes people want to see him get his ass whooped, too, but the problem is that he's so resourceful that it never comes. He could take an ass whooping, but he has a move that is an automatic win basically every time he hits it. Orton is the cockroach heel: Keep trying to kill him, but he'll just come back stronger than ever. That's what makes him great, and that is what will make him shake things up on RAW to a great response. As sad as I am to see Cena go, I'm really happy to see him come back and be that heel everyone loves to hate.