Brooklyn Brawlin' 03.05.09: HHH and Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Feud

Posted by Dan Torkel on 03.05.2009

It's this year's Wrestlemania main event. It is a match that has been done before. But it is THE match I am most looking forward to. Why, you ask? Because I love long term booking, and this is a match 4 plus years in the making!

Greetings and welcome back. I want to begin with a quick response to last week's column as I got a bunch of responses ranging from totally agree, to "you dumb schmuck," in terms of my all time title matches list. That's actually what I was hoping for as it led to some interesting debate amongst the commenters. I have a happy little wrestling fan these past few days as NYC schools were closed yesterday and I stayed in watching 3 discs of the Best of Saturday Night's Main Event. This is not the best set put out by the WWE, but damn it might be my favorite. I grew up in the early to mid 80's and before weekly shows like Raw, Smackdown, and ECW, there was once a month on Saturday nights on NBC. As a fully fledged Hulkamaniac, I was deeply involved with every storyline, and loved every minute. Some of my fondest memories of childhood were spent on Sunday mornings watching the tapes with my Dad (who cannot wait to borrow the set to re-watch his favorite match ever, Bulldogs/Harts 2/3 falls). Back in the 80's, as Mean Gene points out on the set, TV tapings for Saturday and Sunday morning shows were not about competitive wrestling. They were showcases for established stars to squash jobbers. ALL the big matches were saved for SNME. If you don't have it yet, get it, watch it and relive the greatness and Jess the Body announcing. We'll start by addressing Raw last night as it serves as a catalyst to the crux of this week's column.

RAW Thoughts –

- First off, these Jericho interviews with the legends had been excellent. That being said, Jimmy Snuka is NOT the guy you want out there for a killer promo. Flair, and Piper matched Jericho on the stick, and Steamboat held his own for someone who was not a great mic guy in his time. Jimmy Snuka is damn near intelligible! When he is lucid and coherent, he isn't lucid OR coherent. Thus Jericho was forced to basically go it alone during the promo and it did not hold up as well as his previous ones. Snuka couldn't even do his pose properly and just came across as a total goof. With 30+ days till Wrestlemania XXV, they have to introduce Jericho's opponent and fast or else they run the risk of killing what was a good series of interviews and promos and an interesting as storyline to boot. If he is going to face Austin, which still seems the logical choice being that it's in Houston, then bring him in already. If he is actually going to wrestle Mickey Rourke, then at least bring him on TV. I am dreading that this leads nowhere with Jericho ending up doing a highlight reel time waster instead of having a match.

- I like the idea of the Triple Threats for MITB spots because last year it got ridiculous with like CM Punk vs. Snitsky, where everyone knew who was winning. Last night I thought Rey would win, but Kane and Knox had just main evented the previous ppv and could legitimately earn a place in MITB. And then in somewhat of an upset, Kane did win. While many are upset, I figure… GREAT! With Miz and Morrison losing in MITB last week, and Evan Bourne reportedly due back this month, that frees us up for a potential 4-star opener of Miz/Morrison vs. Rey/Bourne for the Tag Titles. If not that, then maybe they cap off this inter-brand feud and unify the Tag Titles with an M&M/Colon Boys match. Kane is a loyal company guy, and I have no problem with his inclusion in the MITB. Imagine if at Wrestlemania XIV, I would have told you that "Undertaker's brother; the red guy with the mask," would still be there at Wrestlemania XXV.

- Big Show will be added to the Wrestlemania match… really? That makes Triple Threats officially in vogue for Wrestlemania. It started with Triple H/Benoit/Shawn at WM XX, then Rey/Angle/Orton at XXII, and last year's Triple H/Cena/Orton. That makes it now 4 in 6 years if they stay with Big Show in the thing. I frankly do not get it for this reason: Vicky is the worst heel manager/wife ever! First she put Edge in a nearly impossible to win Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, and he lost! Then yeah, he won the main event, but now this… why add a 500-pound monster to your husband's title defense?

- But who cares for Cena, Edge, and Big Show, when it has become official: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in the Battle for Texas!

- And then there is the promo. Triple H and Randy Orton… my early candidate for Promo of the Year, and the reason I am going to order Wrestlemania, as if I needed a reason anyways. Many of you who have read my column this past year know what I fan I am of long term storytelling in booking and how much I hate bouncing titles and Russo-esque Crash TV booking. Let's examine this promo and this now officially EPIC feud.

Triple H and Randy Orton – The Evolution of a Feud

So Randy Orton with the Legacy and his team of advisors, lawyers, and security come out to announce that as Rumble winner, he will face the winner of the Edge/John Cena World Title match. Triple H comes down and Orton immediately draws back due to Triple H's sledgehammer. Hunter drops it and goes nose to nose with Orton. He says Orton is all talk and no game, because we ALL know the source of Orton's problems… TRIPLE H and EVOLUTION! The WWE is NOT absent minded about the past, I knew it!

Triple H discusses the night after Summerslam 2004 where Orton successfully defeated Benoit for the second straight night and in ceremony, Triple H, Batista and Ric Flair celebrate with Orton including a trip around the ring on the Animal's shoulders. Then came the fatal thumbs down. Batista dropped Orton and the beat down commenced. Triple H and Evolution left Orton bloodied and beaten. Triple H said a week later that he did it because he was the Game, and Orton had gone too far too fast. In other words; Triple H was not ready to "evolve." Triple H defeated Orton for the World Title at the very next ppv, Unforgiven, and Randy Orton would wait a long time for revenge. He would pin Triple H to win his elimination match at Survivor Series, but when he got another crack at the World Title; at New Year's Revolution in an Elimination Chamber, he was pinned by Triple H after Batista interfered. In yet another rematch at the Royal Rumble, Randy Orton again came up short, falling to a Pedigree in relatively clean fashion. At this point the fans lost faith in Orton, and instead turned their attention to his Evolution running buddy, Batista who would win the Rumble and defeat Triple H not only at Wrestlemania, but at Backlash and Vengeance, showing the fans that he could ultimately do what Randy Orton could not, beat Triple H, and more off, do it again and again.

Randy Orton spent the post Wrestlemania months of 2005, on the injured list and returned on Smackdown to continue his feud with Undertaker; a feud he'd ultimately lose. Running away (as Triple H pointed out last night) had not done anything for Orton's career. He had lost to the top man on Raw and now the top man on Smackdown. At the Royal Rumble in 2006, Orton entered at #30 but was tossed last by the #2 entrant, 175 pound Rey Mysterio. Orton, directionless, turned from the bad to the most desperate and depraved by igniting a feud with Mysterio over the late-great Eddie Guerrero's memory.

Orton would continue on until the summer of 2007 without gaining the success he did with Evolution. In the midst of his feud with WWE Champion John Cena, Cena was legitimately injured and thus had to forfeit the title right before his showdown with Orton at No Mercy. Vince McMahon was left with no option, and thus handed the title over to Orton as the number one contender. Who was there to ruin the party other than Triple H himself? In the first match of the night, and just over 10 minutes after Orton was awarded the title, Triple H defeated him cleanly with a roll up. Orton demanded his rematch and got it in the main event that night. Orton would finally get his revenge and score his first title match victory over Triple H in a Last Man Standing match. The stipulations of the match, made it so Orton did not have to pin Hunter, though Hunter pinned Orton earlier the same evening… a minor quibble.

Orton rolled on as Champion scoring major victories over Shawn Michaels, and Jeff Hardy on ppv. But his title reign, the self named "Age of Orton" was marred by a streak of non-wins and DQ losses. He was DQ'ed against Shawn in their first match before winning at Survivor Series, he lost to Chris Jericho by DQ at Armageddon, and in Cena's return match at No Way Out, he slapped the referee to cause the DQ in another act of cowardice. At Wrestlemania, he faced a huge challenge in a triple threat against both Cena and his nemesis, Triple H. Orton, ever the opportunist (copyright: Cole, Michael) waited for Triple H to Pedigree Cena, and then punted him and stole the pin. It was a huge moment for him, winning a main event match at Wrestlemania, but Triple H let him and the world know one night later; it was the Pedigree, not the RKO that won the match.

One month later, the Age of Orton was ended in a Fatal 4 way match at Backlash. Guess who… Triple H. Kick, Wham, Pedigree and Orton was again (FOR THE THIRD TIME) dethroned as Champion by Triple H, his former mentor. In the total opposite of the Batista/Triple H feud from 2005; it was Triple H who continually thwarted Orton, in a Steel Cage match at Judgment Day, and ironically in Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand. That match left Orton with a broken collarbone, an injury that put him out for 6 months.

Triple H meantime was drafted to Smackdown in June and reigned there as Champion until November, when the WWE Title became a hot potato, changing hands from Triple H to Edge to Jeff Hardy to Edge to Triple H in a 3 month span. When Orton did return he surrounded himself with other second generation superstars, The Legacy of Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. But Orton was having issues with Raw GM Stephanie McMahon, issues about respect and the way she was handling him on the premiere show of the WWE. The heat with Stephanie carried over and reached a boiling point when her father Vince returned to deal with a series of issues, Randy being among them. But Orton had none of Vince's lip and shoved him down and punted him into unconsciousness. Orton had left himself stunned.

After the Vince debacle, Orton knew his days might be numbered. Orton was following in the footsteps of his old mentor and constant enemy Triple H by getting a crop of young talent to watch his back. It worked so well for Orton that he and his Legacy partners were 3 of the final 4 men in the Royal Rumble match, which saw Orton score the biggest win of his career by eliminating The Game. As Rumble winner, Orton had an insurance policy against being fired, but instead drew the wrath of Shane McMahon, defending his father's honor. At No Way Out, Orton defeated Shane in a No Holds Barred match, but it was the Raw afterwards that paved the way towards Wrestlemania. Vince was down and out, and Orton left Shane out after a punt on Raw. When Stephanie ran out to intercede, BOOM, RKO! To quote Rose McGowen in Scream, "Bam, Bitch went down!"

Now the story goes from the intense to the sublime. For years, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's marriage has been an inside joke, everyone (fans included) knew they were married, and they always made play of it on TV, but never completely broke kayfabe with it. Since the dissolving of the McMahon-Helmsley alliance way back in 2001/02, they have rarely appeared on TV together. But after the RKO on Stephanie, the door opened finally. Triple H was out not as a vengeful Champion, but as a husband, father, brother in law, and son in law. He was out to protect his family, not the characters they play on TV, but his actual family. The sledgehammer chase scene from last week's Raw was highly criticized by the IWC, but I loved it. Orton only ran because a crazed man was chasing him with a SLEDGEHAMMER! Imagine you beat up the wife and family of 275 pound muscle bound freak that beats people up for a living. You'd run to if he chased you with a weapon. And at the end of the day, Triple H called Orton's bluff and challenged him to a match at Wrestlemania: the Champion challenged the # 1 Contender.

The story arcs of this feud are truly fantastic. Was this all a ploy by Randy Orton? How many times in wrestling history has the Champion challenged the challenger? Plus Hunter cannot touch Orton till Wrestlemania. If someone punted and concussed my father and brother in law and hit my wife, I would not give him a month of freedom. But Orton is free till April 5th. Could this be the ultimate revenge plan, the definitive evil plot? The man who is the cause of all your problems, dating back four and a half years. The man who has knocked you off the top of the world 3 times. The man who injured you and cost you 6 month of your career. So what do you do? How do you get revenge? The Green Goblin knew in the first Spider-Man movie, go for the heart. Attack Vince. Attack Shane. And then go after Stephanie, the mother of his children. Perhaps the hope is Triple H will be so consumed with revenge, that he will overact and make a fatal mistake which opens the doorways to an Orton victory. All I know is that one pinfall by Randy Orton over Triple H at Wrestlemania, caps off 4+ years of hatred and violence and Orton standing as champion at the end equals redemption. In the final twist of the story's fate, it is the heel seeking the ultimate redemption, not the face, and the face wanting revenge, not the heel.

All of these elements, the role reversals, the deep personal relationship between the actual wrestlers and their characters, and the years put into this long story make this one of the greatest feuds ever done by the WWE. And what better place to cap off such a great feud, than at Wrestlemania XXV, the biggest event ever. Till then, as always, have fun storming the castle.