Even though Randy Orton cashed in on his “Money in the Bank” title by defeating Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship, his staleness over the last year has significantly affected his relevancy within the WWE.
Orton, who was supposed to be the “Face of the WWE,” was certain to become the company’s corporate champion, as well as the man fans pay to see get beat. He would have been sure to unleash an all-new viciousness with some extra aggression, in order to retain the title he had worked so hard to regain.
So “The Viper” was going from babyface to formidable foe in a quick transformation. Or so everyone thought…
But what actually happened was that Randy Orton was not really the top villain at the WWE. He wasn’t aggressive enough nor particularly vicious as he was expected to be.
He became a kind of indifferent character, neither loved nor hated by fans.
All the things that fans loved about Orton seem to have been stripped away layer by layer, and all that is left is a mouthpiece for The Authority.
After all, Orton would usually be quick to respond to criticism. but he allowed Triple H and Stephanie to disrespect him publicly and put up little fight. And when things didn’t go his way, he complained about it like a baby.
According to many, Randy Orton became nothing more than a “faceless pawn” being manipulated by the current powers controlling the WWE.
After nearly a year of irrelevancy for Orton, it seems that the only way to get him back on track — and for fans to take him seriously again — is a feud with Triple H.
Seeing as everything Orton did for the past year was at the behest of his bosses, without really thinking for himself, he was pushed deeper and deeper into obscurity and WWE irrelevance.
On top of that, if Randy Orton decides to settle for being a stooge for the two most powerful people in the WWE, he will probably never recover the love fans used to have for him. That decision, ultimately, is in his hands.
