Randy Ortons...Token Champ?

Danny Diamond

Founder/Admin

Maybe its just me, but it sure seems more and more that Randy Ortons World Title reign was nothing more than an opportunity to have Orton win so that Lesnar no longer can be called the youngest champ ever.

Thoughts?

Steveo

I think it was that and the fact that WWE realized they made a mistake with a guy who wasn't ready.

Dr. Giganto

i agree with both steveo and simon. They just wanted to stick it to Lesnar for leaving them high and dry, and then once they did, they realized the folly of their ways and took it off him. Now, he'll probably win it back at WM and they'll make a big deal about it although it will be a little tarnished because of the first token title reign.

Y2J The King Of The World

Simon, I completely agree with you. While Randy Orton will certainly become a cornerstone of WWE, he definitely wasn't and isn't ready to hold the World Title for any extended period of time.

His winning the belt at Summerslam was done for two reasons: 1) to send a message to Brock and 2) to get the ball rolling faster on his eventual rise to the main event picture. I don't think WWE would pick just anyone to win the title, just to take Lesnar's bragging rights as the youngest champion ever. They didn't want to burn the bridge with Lesnar, but rather wanted to prove a point that he is replaceable. For this reason, Orton was the perfect choice - he will be a solid draw in the years to come and he was already a solid upper card guy who was over with the fans, so WWE, ever the short-sighted opportunist, saw this as the first step towards building a new top draw. It was a bit hasty, granted, but it has started to come together after a few initial missteps.

Unfortunately for other superstars (ahem, Chris Benoit), Orton is now being pushed as the top babyface on Raw, since they got the aforementioned ball rolling and shouldn't stop what they started - so, the guys who we were used to rooting for are now in the backseat with a less experienced driver behind the wheel.

Hopefully, once the Orton/HHH feud is through, Orton will be traded to Smackdown to help freshen things up, allowing the SD! guys to get a fresh face on the roster and the aforementioned Raw guys (ahem, Benoit) to get their time in the spotlight again. I think this would be the only solution because, if Orton comes out ahead, the feud with HHH will never truly end, as the only thing they ever have HHH do is hunt for the title. On the other hand, if Orton loses, then what? It's very hard for a guy to be pushed to the moon and be able to move back down to the midcard and stay credible (ahem, Jericho, Benoit). Plus, moving Orton to Smackdown after WM21 would lay the groundwork for Orton/Cena at WM22 - which is destined to happen. So, while they're making "Randy's Chase for the Gold" the big storyline o' the year, I think they'd be better served to not have him get the best of Haitch.

Blitzkrieg

maybe WWE just realized that Orton as the underdog tells a better story than Orton going on a long title run at this point in his career.

Oh and they did try to stick it to lesnar..no doubt about it.

The Strange One

From what I read, Vince gave his blessing to Lesnar when he left to pursue the NFL. So why would he want to "stick it to him." Do you think Lesnar thought that he'd ALWAYS have the moniker of "youngest champ in WWE history?" I doubt that he thought that, nor do I think that he gives a crap. Saying that Vince was trying to "send a message" to Brock is unfounded, speculative garbage.

As for Orton's reign. I think the Title win against Benoit was used to solidify Orton's upper-tier status. Furthermore, I think that Blitzkrieg was right on the mark when he stated that WWE is probably looking to tell the "underdog" story. The best way to get the crowd behind a babyface seems to be as the underdog. I just hope that Triple H doesn't eventually win this rivalry as he did against Booker T, because booking someone as an underdog and then having them lose does not progress somone's career.

:guns: :redbounce :bounce:

Dr. Giganto

You're right, it is speculative. But dont you think its a little coincidental that shortly after doing interviews in which Lesnar implies that he regretted going into wrestling right after college instead of the NFL (which was on ESPN...thats not speculation), Vince gave his much-hyped "Youngest Champion ever" moniker to someone else

By the way, just because its speculation doesnt mean its garbage. And its certainly not unfounded, so calm yourself

The Strange One

I don't believe that his statements reflected negatively on Vince, though. I think he was speaking retrospectively. For all we know, he might have told Vince that to his face. That's speculation on my part, though. I think that from all indications, Brock and WWE are still on good terms and would gladly welcome him back as soon as this "experiment" is over.

As far as the moniker, WWE gives monikers away like they were twinkies. Everybody's got one and most don't mean didley. Prior to Brock, I doubt most casual fans knew who the "youngest champ ever" was. They'll always be able to say that Brock was one of the youngest champs ever, regardless of whether he is the youngest ever. And more importantly, his first title reign was much longer than Randy's. I don't think there were any posts about Brock being a token champ.

Calm YOURself, Mister D. "Unfounded, speculative garbage" was a compliment.
:laughing:

:guns: :redbounce :bounce: